Crowd boos Israeli medallist in swimming World Championships

Gorbenko was jeered during an interview and later during the medal ceremony.

Published: February 18, 2024 2:30pm

The crowd at the Doha World Championships on Sunday booed an Israeli medallist who won silver in the women's 400-meter medley.

"I'm just so happy to be here and represent my country in this hard time, being here with the Israeli flag means a lot to me and to my country, so that's the best I can do," Israeli Anastasia Gorbenko said in a post-race interview as loud boos could be heard in the background.

Gorbenko was also jeered during the medal ceremony, per The Times of Israel.

World Aquatics, the global governing body for swimming, did not immediately comment on the incident.

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