Israel knew it never had a shot at a medal at the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. Its goal was to show up, compete, wave the Israeli flag and walk away with its head held high.

Now it can’t even do that.

Sunday should have capped off Israel’s successful run at the Milano Cortina Olympics. Not successful in terms of medals or new records, but in hard work, perseverance and sportsmanship.

Instead, the end of the Games is marred by news that Israel pulled its four-man bobsleigh team from its final heat after finding out that a member had lied about being unwell in an attempt to allow the team’s alternate to compete instead.

The team appears to have had only the best intentions, seeking to give a chance to teammate Ward Fawarseh to not only become Israel’s first-ever Druze Olympian, but to have his own shot on the ice after putting in years of work alongside them.

But it knowingly broke the rules, and the Olympic Committee of Israel had no choice but to blow the whistle. If it had ever emerged that the OCI knew about the violation and covered it up, the global damage to Israel’s sporting reputation would be a thousandfold.

The team was already under the spotlight, including after a Swiss TV commentator called into question its eligibility to compete, citing captain AJ Edelman’s “support of genocide” in Gaza. The OCI demanded an apology for the remarks, asserting that all of its athletes were participating “in full accordance with the criteria and procedures established by the International Olympic........

© The Times of Israel