In a surprise move, the Olympic Committee of Israel (OCI) disqualified its own bobsleigh team after it was discovered that the team attempted to substitute an alternative for another regular member by faking an illness.

According to The Times of Israel, the Israeli bobsleigh team attempted to substitute an alternate member, Ward Fawarseh, for a regular team member by faking another member’s medical exam.  The OIC discovered the scheme and voluntarily disqualified its own team, calling the behavior “against fair and sportsmanlike conduct.”

“In a statement posted to Instagram Sunday morning, Edelman wrote that since the team was not in a competitive position and had no chance of winning, “it was more important to us that our alternate could have the opportunity to compete in the Olympics,” according to the Times of Israel.

This was a welcome, long-overdue public action by an official Israeli organization to promote ethical behavior on the world stage.  The OIC deserves much credit for taking this public action during the Olympics, an event expected to be seen by billions worldwide.

The International Olympic Committee said its digital platform was used by 100 million users, or twice the number from the 2022 Olympic Games in Beijing.  In the US, NBC said the Winter Olympics set a viewership record of 24 million people.

Of course, not everyone watched the bobsled events, and certainly not the Israeli team that finished in 24th place out of 27 competitors.  Only the top 20 sleds qualify for the fourth and final heat.

However, it’s obvious that a scandal involving the Israeli bobsleigh team (or anything Israeli) would also have made the international news, even if they were not contenders.

This voluntary disqualification is a positive, albeit modest, PR move by Israel to promote sportsmanship and ethical behavior in line with international norms, even if it happened on the ice and snow of Milan, about 3,800 miles from Tel Aviv.

So, let’s praise the OIC  for its honesty, disclosure, and action to prevent a scandal at the Olympics.  Israel needs more OIC members in its public institutions.

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)