Source: Fox News
Summary
Liora Rez, founder of StopAntisemitism, is calling for the firing of Swiss broadcaster Stefan Renna, who questioned an Israeli athlete’s participation in the Winter Olympics. Renna dubbed Israel’s skeleton competitor A.J. Edelman a “self-defined Zionist” and mentioned the Gaza conflict. The network removed the segment, but Rez wants consequences and an apology. She also wants the International Olympic Committee to take a stand against political commentary.
Our Reading
The game followed a familiar script. A Swiss broadcaster, Stefan Renna, made anti-Semitic comments about an Israeli athlete during a Winter Olympics broadcast. The usual suspects are calling for his head, but we’ve seen this before. It’s just another example of how sports can’t escape politics.
The comments were made during a bobsled competition, where speed and form are the focus, not politics. But Renna chose to vilify Israel and its athletes. It’s not the first time we’ve seen this kind of thing, and it won’t be the last.
The International Olympic Committee needs to step in and make it clear that this kind of commentary won’t be tolerated. Otherwise, we’ll see more of this in the future.
Original observation: When sports and politics mix, it’s always the Jews who get caught in the crossfire.
Author: Evan Null
