Israeli athletes face hostility, racism, death threats at Rio Olympics

By Phil Shiver

The Olympics are supposed to be a time of international fellowship—a celebration of shared humanity. For the country of Israel, this should have been a particularly memorable Summer Games, as judoka Yarden Gerbi brought home their first Olympic medal since 2008.   But that has not been the experience for the tiny nation of Israel during the 2016 Summer Games in Rio. Israeli athletes have faced increased “hostility” and taunting from representatives of fellow Middle Eastern states thus far in Brazil, and the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has taken notice.........See more at