Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine has been banned from competition for 10 years by the International Judo Federation after his withdrawal from the Tokyo Olympics to avoid a potential bout against an Israeli opponent.

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Nourine's coach, IJF Hall of Famer Amar Benikhlef, also received a 10-year ban Monday.

Nourine withdrew from the Tokyo Games on the opening day after learning he could potentially face Olympic bronze medalist Tohar Butbul in the second round of men's lightweight competition at the Budokan. Nourine and Benikhlef told Algerian media they quit to express support for Palestinians.

The Algerian Olympic committee withdrew both men's accreditations and sent them home. After an investigation, the IJF issued a ban that effectively ends the competitive career of the 30-year-old Nourine, a three-time gold medalist in the African Judo Championships.

"It is evident that the two Algerian judoka, with malicious intent, have used the Olympic Games as a platform for protest and promotion of political and religious propaganda, which is a clear and serious breach of the IJF Statutes, the IJF Code of Ethics, and the Olympic Charter," the IJF said in a statement. "Therefore, no other penalty than a severe suspension can be imposed in this case."

The 39-year-old Benikhlef won a silver medal at the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

Butbul advanced to the round of 16 without a bout in the 73-kilogram division in Tokyo because of the withdrawals of Nourine and Sudan's Mohamed Abdalrasool, who also quit the tournament before fighting Butbul. Abdalrasool claimed he had an injury, but Butbul and the Israeli team didn't believe it, citing the fact Abdalrasool weighed in for the bout one day earlier.

Butbul was eliminated in the quarterfinals of his weight class, but he was a member of the Israeli team that won a bronze medal in the first-ever mixed team competition.

The governing body of judo has been firm in its anti-discrimination policies and strong support of Israel's right to compete in recent years.

In April, the IJF suspended Iran for four years because the nation refused to allow its fighters to face Israelis. The IJF said Iran's policies were revealed when former Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei claimed he was ordered to lose in the semifinals of the 2019 world championships in Tokyo to avoid potentially facing Israeli world champion Sagi Muki in the finals.

Mollaei received asylum in Germany and citizenship in Mongolia. He won a silver medal representing Mongolia at the Tokyo Olympics, which he dedicated to Israel.

Nourine and Benikhlef could appeal their bans to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

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The IJF decision follows a protective suspension imposed on the Iran Judo Federation on Sept. 18 for putting pressure on one of its fighters to withdraw from the world judo championships to avoid having to face an Israeli opponent.

The ban extends to all competitions, administrative and social activities organized or authorized by the IJF and its unions. Iran has 21 days to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the IJF said in a statement.

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Saeid Mollaei was pressured by Iranian authorities to drop out of his quarter-final and semi-final bouts at the Aug. 25-Sept. 1 world titles in Tokyo to avoid a potential final with Israel's Sagi Muki, the IJF said.

The 2018 world champion, who is in hiding in Germany, has refused to return to Iran over fears for his safety after ignoring the orders from its National Olympic Committee and government.

The Iran Judo Federation has denied instructing Mollaei to withdraw from competing, saying that his statements were false and made to "speed up his change of nationality process."

Although Iran has never won an Olympic medal in judo, they were viewed as strong contenders in Tokyo 2020. However, the ban puts a question mark over their participation because qualifying depends mainly on world ranking points earned in IJF events.

This is not the first time athletes from Arab nations or Iran have been told to pull out or refuse to compete with Israeli competitors in Olympics or other international events.

At the 2004 Athens Olympics, then Iranian world champion Arash Miresmaeili refused to fight Israeli judoka Ehud Vaks, earning praise back home.

At Rio de Janeiro in 2016, Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby was sent home after refusing to shake the hand of Israeli Or Sasson after their bout.

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