Bronze medal for Israeli judoka Ori Sasson

Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby wouldn’t have anything to do with shaking the hand of Or Sasson, the Israeli opponent who beat him on Friday.

After winning the match, Israel’s Or Sasson bowed to Egypt’s Islam El Shehaby and went to shake his hand. El Shehaby didn’t back down, even after the referee called him back to the mat – he simply gave a quick head nod before stepping off the floor again.

Or Sasson (ISR) of Israel and Islam El Shehaby (EGY) of Egypt compete.

Israel’s Or Sasson (white) competes with Egypt’s Islam Elshehaby during their men’s +100kg judo contest match of the Rio 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro on August 12, 2016.

The International Judo Federation said that the fact that the fight even took place between those two athletes was already a major sign of progress.

Shehaby, 32, had been reportedly pressured by fans in social media not to show up for his scheduled fight with his Israeli opponent because it would shame Islam, but he decided not to withdraw from the match.

Judo officials are looking in to whether el-Shehaby’s actions merit some sort of punishment.

Egypt is the first country in the Arab world to sign a peace treaty and normalize relations with Israel, after decades of war.

“We believe that the Olympic spirit should be about building bridges, never about erecting walls”, IOC spokesman Mark Adams told a news conference.

“Nevertheless, his attitude will be reviewed after the Games to see if any further action should be taken”.

On Sunday, the International Olympic Committee reprimanded members of the Lebanese delegation for refusing to allow Israeli team members to board an official bus to the Games opening ceremony on Friday.

Most famously in the Olympic dojo, then-world champion Arash Miresmaeili pulled out of the competition after failing to make the 66kg weight limit after being drawn against Israeli Ehud Vaks in the first round.

TV host Mataz Matar had said: “Egypt will cry”.