Olympics: Israel disqualifies bobsleigh team over false illness claim
The Israeli Olympic Committee disqualified Israel’s four-man bobsleigh team after determining that a false medical declaration was submitted to enable an unauthorized lineup change
The Israeli team entered in the four-man bobsleigh event was disqualified by the Israeli Olympic Committee after officials discovered that a false declaration had been submitted in an attempt to authorize a lineup change.
According to an official statement, one athlete falsely claimed to be ill in order to justify the inclusion of a substitute, Ward Fawarseh. Competition rules allow substitutions only in cases of verified injury or illness. The athlete in question underwent a medical examination and signed a certificate to support the formal replacement request.
The athlete later admitted to the head of the Israeli delegation that his actions were improper. Following this admission, the Israeli Olympic Committee withdrew the substitution request and decided to disqualify the team for the day’s competition.
“The conduct of the team is inappropriate and runs counter to the principles of fairness and sportsmanship,” the committee said in its statement.
The previous day, Israel competed with AJ Edelman, Menachem Chen, Uri Zisman, and Omer Katz. Event organizers had initially listed a second run with a revised lineup that included Fawarseh. Had he competed, Fawarseh would have become the first Druze athlete to represent Israel at the Olympic Games.
After two completed heats, the Israeli team ranked 24th out of 27 competitors. The race was marked by three off-track incidents during the second run.
The Israeli Bobsleigh and Skeleton Federation did not immediately respond to requests for comment.