Syrian boxer Muhammad Melis decided not to participate in a fight against Bahraini boxer Danis Laptov at the Asian Games in China. The reason for his withdrawal was the appointment of an Israeli referee for the match.

According to the official Syrian news agency SANA, Melis refused to fight due to the presence of the Israeli referee. His coach, Muhammad Ghosun, had raised an objection to the refereeing committee regarding this matter.

Despite Syria’s objection, the judging committee insisted on keeping the Israeli referee, leading Melis to stay out of the ring and ultimately withdraw from the fight. As a result, Laptov was declared the winner.

Kamel Shabib, a member of the International Boxing Federation’s arbitration committee, stated that the federation always emphasizes not assigning any judge or referee from a “hostile or friendly” country to any international tournament.

Syria is participating in the Asian Games in equestrian, boxing, wrestling, and athletics.

The XIX Asian Games are currently being held in China from September 23 to October 8.

Source: SANA Agency