Sagi Muki of Israel won a gold medal on Sunday at the International Judo Federation's Grand Slam competition in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. For the first time, as a result, the Israeli national anthem, "Hatikva" was played as the Israeli judoka received the medal on the winners' stand.

Muki won the gold after besting Mattias Kuusik in the only matchup between the two so far. Kuusik advanced to the final found after his Iranian opponent, Saeed Molaei, claimed injury in the first half minute of their match, in what was thought to be a faked injury, so that he would not have to face an opponent from Israel.

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Muki received the medal in the presence of Culture and Sports Minister Miri Regev, who attended the competition despite the fact that Israel has no diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates.

In recent weeks, members of the Israeli Olympic Committee have been critical of Regev, accusing her of ramping up expectations by interfering in the affairs of the local judo federation. This, they say, was a contributing factor behind Israel’s poor showing in the recent World Championships.

צפו בהמנון מתנגן באבו דאבי

In 2017, Israeli judoka Tal Flicker won gold medal at the Abu Dhabi Grand Slam on Thursday. The Israeli martial artist achieved an Ippon, the highest score a fighter can achieve, 25 seconds before the end of his bout with his Azeri opponent, bronze medal world champion Nijat Shikhalizada.

No Israeli flag was flown at the podium in 2017, after the United Arab Emirate hosts forbade any representation of the Israeli team's nationality, something that the hosts claimed was done for their own safety. Israelis competed under similar conditions during the same event held in 2015 in Abu Dhabi.

The International Judo Federation has previously stripped both the UAE. and Tunisia of the right to host Grand Prix tournaments, following their refusal to allow Israeli participants to compete under the national flag. In August, both countries promised the IJF that the Israeli flag would be flown at future events and they were reinstated. Several Israeli politicians, including Regev, described the decision as a major diplomatic victory for Israel.

According to a statement issued by the Culture and Sports Ministry, “Regev is grateful for the invitation extended by IJF President Marius Vizer to attend the historical tournament in Abu Dhabi, where, for the first time, Israeli athletes will be allowed to compete under their national flag and to hear their national anthem played. The goal of the minister’s visit is first and foremost to sign a historic agreement for Israel to host a Grand Prix event, which will be attended by the best judokas in the world. The issue is currently being examined and the minister is very keen to accept the invitation.”