Lebanese chess player withdraws from UAE open refusing normalization

By Al Mayadeen English
Source: Agencies + Al Mayadeen Net
22 Aug 17:04

Lebanese chess champion stands strong against normalization and withdraws from the Abu Dhabi international tournament after a draw set her up to confront an Israeli contestant.

Anti-normalization withdrawals from sports events continue.

The Lebanese chess champion, Maggie Qassem Fawaz, decided to withdraw from the 4th Abu Dhabi International Open Festival after the classification pitted her against an Israeli player in her fourth round, thus following in the footsteps of her fellow Lebanese sports champions who have rejected normalization with "Israel" in support the Palestinian cause.

Activists, on social media, considered that the Lebanese youth's refusal to normalize with "Israel" expresses the true face of Lebanon's resistance, which rejects normalization.

Earlier, the Lebanese boxer, Charbel Abu Daher, withdrew from the World Junior Championships, which also took place in Abu Dhabi, rejecting all forms of normalization.

The father of the Lebanese boxer expressed his pride in what his son had done, while he thanked the Secretary-General of Hezbollah, Sayyed Hassan Nasrallah, for the stance that praised the Lebanese player's decision.

It is noteworthy that Fawaz and Abu Daher followed the example of Mark Abou Deeb, the 8-year-old who withdrew from the World Cadet Chess Championships in Santiago de Compostela, Galicia, Spain for the same reason as Fawaz and Abdullah Miniato, who withdrew from the World Mixed Martial Arts Championship last year in Bulgaria after a draw set him up to confront an Israeli contestant.