Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine, who received a 10-year ban from competition for withdrawing from the Tokyo Olympics to avoid potentially facing an Israeli opponent, announced Monday he was retiring.

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Nourine, 30, had unsuccessfully appealed the ban imposed by the International Judo Federation.

"I decided to retire after my appeal was rejected, and the 10-year ban remained unchanged," Nourine said. "I know that international federations have always cooperated with Zionist terrorism, especially the International Judo Federation, and perhaps the best evidence is that the ban remains the same even after my appeal.

"I have no regrets. On the contrary, I am proud of this ban and will take every opportunity that comes my way in order to reveal facts about the Zionist entity, and to defend the Palestinian struggle in every way," the judoka said.

Nourine withdrew from the Tokyo Olympics on opening day after learning he could face Israeli judoka and Olympic bronze medalist Tohar Butbul. His coach, Amar Benikhlef, also received a 10-year ban.

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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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Israeli Paralympic swimmer Iyad Shalabi won the gold medal for the 100-meter backstroke final in the S1 category at the Tokyo Paralympics on Wednesday, securing the first gold for Israel in this Paralympics and also becoming the first Arab Israeli to medal for Israel.

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Shalabi was born deaf and mute and was left a paraplegic after an accident he suffered when he was 13.

On Wednesday, he swam the 100 meters in 2:28.04.

Culture and Sports Minister Chili Tropper congratulated the swimmer for his "enormous success" in a Facebook post.

"Congratulations to our Israeli swimmer Iyad Shalabit, who won Israel's first gold medal at the Paralympic Games. Iyad is an inspiring person, whose life is full of victories. And today was another shining one… We're proud of you, Iyad!" Tropper wrote.

Shalabi could be awarded with a cash prize of 500,000 shekels ($155,000), like Israel's other Olympic medalists.

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Tears, medals, Ska music, Japanese dancing and planes flying – Sunday's Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony had it all.

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It began with the raising of the Japanese flag above a nearly empty stadium as the Olympic flame burned inside the white cauldron. According to tradition, marathon runners were presented with their medals, followed by Japanese dances and opera singer Tomotoka Okamoto singing the International Olympic Committee anthem.

IOC President Thomas Bach then declared the games officially over, as the French flag was hoisted above the arena to mark the handover of the Olympics to Paris, which will host the competition in 2024. The last time France hosted the games was in 1924, almost 100 years ago.

The handover also included a flyover above the Eiffel Tower in Paris. Thousands of people, including medalists who have returned from Tokyo, gathered near the site to watch.

French President Emmanuel Macron said, standing on the top floor of the tower, that the slogan of the 2024 Olympics would be "higher, faster, stronger," and added: "Together." His speech was followed by a concert performed by French artist Woodkid at the foot of the Eiffel Tower.

Earlier in the day, the IOC voted to give itself more power to remove sports from the Olympic program. The decision comes after prolonged issues with sports leadership.

The IOC can now remove a sport if its governing body does not comply with a decision made by the Olympic body's executive board or if it "acts in a manner likely to tarnish the reputation of the Olympic movement."

Weightlifting could lose its place at the 2024 Paris Olympics because of a series of doping scandals and governance issues. The International Weightlifting Federation was led for two decades until last year by longtime IOC member Tamas Ajan.

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The entire world is poised for the Tokyo Olympics closing ceremony to take place Sunday evening. When the games began slightly more than two weeks ago, not even Japan was thrilled about having to host the games in the middle of a global pandemic. And while one might debate whether it was wise of the International Committee to go forward with the competition during the coronavirus, this year's games will undoubtedly go down as one of the most unique in Olympic history.

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For Israel, in particular, this year's competition was a clear success.

First off, Israel sent its largest-ever delegation to the games in 2021. More than 80 athletes competed in surfing, judo, track and field, taekwondo, swimming, gymnastics, baseball, and for the first time, arching. 

Israeli Olympian Avishag Samberg scored the Jewish state its first medal on July 24, winning the bronze in taekwondo. On July 31, the mixed judo team brought Isreal it's second bronze medal.

On August 1, Artem Dolgopyat made history, winning Israel's first Olympic gold medal in artistic gymnastics in the men's floor exercise final at Ariake Gymnastics Center in Tokyo. And on Aug. 7, powerhouse rhythmic gymnast Linoy Ashram won the gold medal in the rhythmic gymnastics individual competition, ending Russia's decades-long dominance in the sport and bringing Israel its second Olympic gold medal.

Women, in particular, sent a powerful message in this year's games.  They set records everyone saw coming and others that surprised the experts. Over nine days at the near-empty Olympic Stadium, the women of track and field delivered a memorable show, both inside the lines and out.

Theirs was a sport in need of a good boost, not only because of the year-long delay sparked by the virus, but because no matter when they returned, Usain Bolt would no longer draw eyes to the track simply by showing up.

These women – Sifan Hassan, Sydney McLaughlin, Elaine Thompson-Herah, Raven Saunders and Allyson Felix – delivered a series of inspiring performances and messages that showed the heart of their sport was still beating strong.

Some highlights included:

Hassan, an Ethiopian-born Dutch middle- and long-distance runner, and her unrelenting journey toward three medals – two gold and one bronze – in three of the longest races held on the track.

She started with gold in the 5,000 meters, then came back with bronze in the 1,500. She closed the show Saturday with a gold-medal run in the 10,000 – one in which her vision was so clouded by exhaustion that she admitted she could not see the finish line.

"I'm so happy," she said after the odyssey – six races over eight nights covering 65 laps and 24 kilometers – was finally complete "I'm relieved. I'm finished. I can sleep."

McLaughlin, an American hurdler and sprinter, whose back-and-forth duals in the 400-meter hurdles with US teammate Dalilah Muhammad reached a crescendo at the Olympics.

It was a race that had been much-anticipated and all but preordained to again reset the world record that one or the other had broken in three previous showdowns.

And they lived up to the hype. McLaughlin lowered her own mark to 51.46 seconds. Just as impressively, Muhammad's silver-medal time of 51.58 would have been a world record, too.

"I think it's two athletes wanting to be their best," McLaughlin said, "and knowing there's another great girl who's going to help you get there."

The sprinters were fast through the leadup to the Olympics, so it wasn't all that surprising to see that pace keep going in Tokyo.

But while most of the pre-Games buzz went to Jamaica's Shelly-Ann Fraser-Pryce (100) and American Gabby Thomas (200), each of whom briefly staked their claim as the second-fastest women in history at their respective distances, it was Jamaican sprinter Thompson-Herah who wound up there in the end.

After a slow start to the season because of an Achilles injury, Thompson-Herah swept the 100 and 200 sprints for the second straight time. One more like that and she'll match Bolt.

She ran the 200 in 21.53 and set the Olympic record in the 100: 10.61 seconds. Though that record might not be the most formidable of the marks Florence Griffith Joyner set a generation ago, in 1988, it had been around every bit as long.

Flo Jo's world records of 10.49 and 21.34 still stand. But for how long?

"By the Olympic finish, I'll probably see what I've done," said Thompson-Herah, who at 29, assures us she is not done yet. "At this moment, I'm just a normal girl."

The story of US track and field athlete Saunders was inspiration for anyone who has been overlooked or left behind. The Black, gay American shot putter started wearing "Incredible Hulk" masks to the field – a way of projecting her fierce competitive spirit, but also a lighter side underneath.

After she received her silver medal, Saunders crossed her arms and formed an "X" on the medals stand. "The intersection of where all people who are oppressed meet," she explained.

It was the sort of message many believe should not only be tolerated, but embraced, when Olympic athletes get their all-too-short time in the spotlight. The IOC, which after much debate and discussion over the past two years still chose to ban such demonstrations, said it would look into it. Any probe was set aside when Saunders' mother died unexpectedly only hours after she won the medal.

And Felix closed the show.

For five Olympics spanning 16 – make that 17 – years, she was epitome of class and speed. At 35 years old, she called it a career, but not without doing what she does better than any runner alive: Winning medals.

Her bronze in the 400 and gold in the 4x400 relay gave her 11. She now has more than any track athlete in history, save a Finnish distance runner, Paavo Nurmi, who won 12 between 1920 and 1928.

Felix has more to do. Since having her baby, Cammy, in 2018 she has transformed herself into one of the most outspoken advocates for women in sports.

"I feel like it's definitely been a journey for me to get to the point where I guess I had the courage to do so," Felix said.

She earned the platform with two decades of racing in which she won some, and lost some, and kept on coming back for more.

Now, it's time to see who takes her place.

Earlier in the meet, someone asked Muhammad, what she thought about all this women's dominance at the track – of America's seven gold medals in track and field, they won five.

"Women do it better," she quipped.

After watching them conquer records, overcome obstacles and make their messages heard over nine days and nights at the Olympic track, it was hard to say she was wrong.

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Powerhouse rhythmic gymnast Linoy Ashram won the gold medal in the rhythmic gymnastics individual competition, ending Russia's decades-long dominance in the sport and bringing Israel its second Olympic gold medal.

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Ashram, 22, edged out Russian twins Dina and Arina Averina, who were favorites going into Tokyo. Dina placed second and Arina fell to fourth place. Alina Harnasko of Belarus won the bronze medal.

Russia has swept the rhythmic gymnastics gold medals in every Olympics since 2000.

But Ashram's victory Saturday breaks their streak. Her nearly flawless performance included a club routine set to Beyonce's "Crazy in Love" and dancing with a ribbon to a techno remix of "Hava Nagila."

On Friday, Ashram and fellow teammate Nicol Zelikman both qualified for the final round after each performed four routines, one each with the hoop, ball, clubs, and ribbon.

Ashram's first round had a shaky start. She dropped her hoop at the end of the routine, and received a lesser score of 23.500 points.

She made a comeback with her ball routine, scoring the highest 29.250 points. She received 27.850 and 23.500 points for her club and ribbon performances respectively, gaining 103.100 in the qualifiers altogether. She ranked third in Friday's qualifiers.

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Israeli rhythmic gymnasts Linoy Ashram and Nicol Zelikman both qualified Friday in the Tokyo Olympics qualifying round, earning their spot at Saturday's final round in which they will vie for an Olympic medal.

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The two athletes performed four routines each – hoop, ball, clubs and ribbon.

Ashram's first round had a shaky start. The gymnast dropped her hoop at the end of the routine, and received a lesser score of 23.500 points.

She made a comeback with her ball routine, scoring the highest 29.250 points. She received 27.850 and 23.500 points for her club and ribbon performances respectively, gaining 103.100 in the qualifiers altogether. She ranked third in Friday's qualifiers.

Zelikman started off her hoop routine strong and received 24.350 points. She scored 25.500 point in her ball routine, 24.950 in the clubs and 21.100 in the ribbon routine. Altogether, she scored 95.900 and ranked seventh in the qualifiers.

Both athletes made it into the finals and will compete for an Olympic medal on Saturday.

So far, Israel's Olympic team has won three medals: Gymnast Artem Dolgopyat won Israel's second-ever Olympic gold medal, the judo team won bronze on Saturday, and taekwodnoin Avishag Semberg won bronze.

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A Belarusian Olympic sprinter plans to seek asylum in Poland, an activist group said Monday, after the athlete alleged that her team's officials tried to force her to fly home, where she feared she wouldn't be safe from an autocratic government that recently was accused of diverting a plane in order to arrest a dissident journalist.

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Athlete Krystsina Tsimanouskaya received a humanitarian visa from the Polish embassy in Tokyo, according to a Polish Foreign Ministry official. The Belarusian Sport Solidarity Foundation, an activist group that is helping the runner, told The Associated Press that the group bought her a plane ticket to Warsaw for the coming days.

The current standoff apparently began after Tsimanouskaya criticized how officials were managing her team  –setting off a massive backlash in state-run media back home, where authorities relentlessly crack down on government critics. Tsimanouskaya said on her Instagram account that she was put in the 4x400 relay even though she has never raced in the event.

Tsimanouskaya was then apparently hustled to the airport but refused to board a flight for Istanbul and instead approached police for help. In a filmed message distributed on social media, she also asked the International Olympic Committee for assistance.

"I was put under pressure, and they are trying to forcibly take me out of the country without my consent," the 24-year-old runner said in the message.

The rapid-fire series of events brought international political intrigue to an Olympics that have been more focused on operational dramas, like maintaining safety during a pandemic and navigating widespread Japanese opposition to holding the event at all.

Belarus' authoritarian government has relentlessly targeted anyone even mildly expressing dissent since a presidential election a year ago triggered a wave of unprecedented mass protests. And it has also gone to extremes to stop its critics, including the recent plane diversion that European officials called an act of air piracy.

In this context, Tsimanouskaya feared for her safety once she saw the campaign against her in state media, according to the sports foundation.

"The campaign was quite serious and that was a clear signal that her life would be in danger in Belarus," Alexander Opeikin, a spokesman for the foundation, told the AP in an interview.

Tsimanouskaya's next steps were not clear. Vadim Krivosheyev, also of the sports foundation, said she planned to seek asylum. Szymon Szynkowski vel Sek, a Polish deputy foreign minister, said the runner asked for the humanitarian visa for now and can still seek refugee status once in Poland.

Athletes seeking asylum at global sporting events is nothing new. It was especially frequent during the Cold War but has also happened occasionally in the decades since. As many as 117 athletes defected at the Munich Olympics in 1972, for instance, according to reports at the time. At least four Romanians and a Soviet associated with the Olympics defected at the Montreal Games in 1976. And Cuban athletes have frequently done so.

Underscoring the seriousness of the allegations, several groups and countries say they are helping the runner. Poland and the Czech Republic offered assistance, and Japan's Foreign Ministry said it was working with the International Olympic Committee and the Tokyo Olympics organizers.

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The IOC, which has been in dispute with the Belarus National Olympic Committee ahead of the Tokyo Games, said it had intervened.

"The IOC … is looking into the situation and has asked the NOC for clarification," it said in a statement.

Many critics of Belarus' government have fled to Poland. Marcin Przydacz, another deputy foreign minister, confirmed on Twitter that Tsimanouskaya had received a humanitarian visa from Poland, adding that the country would also help her to continue her sports career.

"Poland always stands for Solidarity," he said.

Several hours after she entered the Polish embassy, Tsimanouskaya was still believed to be inside. Outside, two exiled Belarusian women who live in Tokyo offered the runner support. They waved a flag that was a mix of the opposition's banner and the Japanese flag.

Czech Foreign Minister Jakub Kulhanek also tweeted that the Czech Republic has offered her asylum.

"If she decides to accept it, we'll do our maximum to help her," he wrote.

The Belarus National Olympic Committee has been led for more than 25 years by authoritarian President Alexander Lukashenko and his son, Viktor.

Both Lukashenkos are banned from the Tokyo Olympics by the IOC, which investigated complaints from athletes that they faced reprisals and intimidation during the crackdown following the wave of anti-government protests over the last year.

"Lukashenko perceives all criticism as part of a plot by Western countries," said Valery Karbalevich, an independent Belarusian political analyst. "Tsimanouskaya's protest is viewed as part of a broader movement of hundreds of Belarusian athletes who stood against the beatings of peaceful demonstrators and for a year have been taking part in street rallies."

A spokeswoman for the Belarus Olympic team did not respond to a request for comment.

The standoff over Tsimanouskaya comes just months after the dramatic diversion of a passenger plane flying between two EU countries. Belarusian authorities ordered the plane to land in Minsk – and pulled journalist and activist Raman Pratasevich and his Russian girlfriend off the flight.

The elder Lukashenko maintained that there was a bomb threat against the plane and that's why a fighter jet was scrambled to force it to land, but the move was roundly criticized by Western leaders.

Pratasevich, who ran a channel on a messaging app used to organize demonstrations against Lukashenko's rule, left his homeland in 2019. He has been charged with fomenting mass unrest and is under house arrest while he awaits trial.

Amid Monday's drama, Tsimanouskaya missed the Olympic 200-meter heats that she was due to participate in. She already competed for Belarus on the first day of track events Friday at the National Stadium in Tokyo. She placed fourth in her first-round heat in the 100 meters, timing 11.47 seconds, and did not advance.

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It wasn't just that the US had been losing. It was that the level of play was practically un-American.

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Playing passively and passing up open shots isn't the way its players became basketball's best. And when it resulted in them dropping their Olympic opener, the Americans decided to do something about it.

"After that loss we came together," guard Damian Lillard said. "It was a lot of communication between then and now where it's like, 'All right. It's time to start looking like Team USA.'"

Lillard scored 21 points and the Americans got back to winning – and winning easily – with their first victory of these Olympics, romping past Iran 120-66 on Wednesday.

Devin Booker scored 16 points and Jayson Tatum had 14 for the Americans, who had their 25-game Olympic winning streak snapped with an 83-76 loss to France on Sunday.

The US not only bounced back but did it in a Dream Team-type performance against an overmatched opponent, racing out for transition dunks and stepping back to knock down 3-pointers.

"We came out with more freedom as individuals and took the shots that we normally take," said Kevin Durant. "And they went in tonight and we guarded up, so it was a good step."

The US plays the Czech Republic on Saturday to close pool play, with a victory guaranteeing the Americans a spot in the single-elimination quarterfinals.

The Americans are probably through already thanks to what will be an enormous point differential as a result of this rout.

The US probably doesn't care what type of team the performance came against. The Americans just needed to look good against somebody.

They came into the game just 2-3 this summer after splitting their exhibition games in Las Vegas before the loss to France. They had rarely looked sharp while navigating roster changes, a game cancelation for coronavirus safety concerns and the absence of Jrue Holiday, Khris Middleton and Booker until the eve of their opener because those three had played in the NBA Finals.

Holiday, who was the best American player in the opener, and Booker moved into the starting lineup Wednesday.

In their second game, the Americans made the shots they normally take. The US knocked down 19 3-pointers and 23 of its 37 shots (62%) inside the arc.

"Now that they're complete and the whole group is here, they're having fun doing what you saw," coach Gregg Popovich said. "Each time we get out on the court, they do it more and more and better and better because they get confidence in the group and how we want to play."

It was a loud statement that might quiet some of the criticisms the team has heard right from the start of its summer, when it dropped its first two exhibition games.

Those came against a different caliber opponent. The Americans had played some of basketball's best, with games against Spain, Australia and Argentina – the Nos. 2-4 teams in the men's rankings – before facing the seventh-ranked French.

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But Iran presented none of the problems of those contenders, a team that only earned its spot in the field in Tokyo by being the highest-finishing Asian team at the 2019 Basketball World Cup. The Iranians are ranked 23rd, ahead of only host Japan – which qualified for the Games automatically as the host country – in this 12-team field.

Lillard struggled and then stumbled in his Olympic debut, going 3 for 10 from the field before a costly fall and foul with 17 seconds left.

But he came out aggressively looking for his shot, a player known for his deep 3-pointers in the NBA having it easy while shooting behind the closer international line.

He had six of the Americans' 13 3-pointers in the first half. All 11 US players who played in the first half scored – late roster addition Keldon Johnson of the San Antonio Spurs didn't play until the second half.

Former NBA center Hamed Haddadi scored 15 points for Iran (0-2).

The US and Iran are longtime rival nations in the political arena but have little history in the basketball one. They had played only once before, a US victory in the 2010 world basketball championship in Istanbul.

Players on both teams then – Durant was one of them – said it was just a regular game despite the history of tension between their nations and this game looked the same. Players exchanged cordial fist bumps and some pats on the arm before tipoff.

The Iranians wouldn't be anywhere near the Americans much longer.

The US led 28-12 after one and pushed the lead to 30 on its 10th 3-pointer in 17 attempts to begin the game, making it 47-17 when Zach LaVine made his second in a row.

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US gymnast Simone Biles, who amazed the world on Tuesday when she decided to pull out of the team all-around competition on Tuesday due to mental strain, costing the US team a gold medal, has decided to forgo the final individual all-around event, she announced Wednesday.

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USA Gymnastics published a message on Twitter explaining that "After further medical evaluation, Simon Biles has withdrawn from the final individual all-around competition. We wholeheartedly support Simone's decision and applaud her bravery in prioritizing her well-being."

Biles will be replaced by Jade Carey, who placed ninth in the qualifications.

International Olympic Committee spokesperson Mark Adams had said earlier on Wednesday the IOC has "huge respect and support" for Biles.

Adams said mental health remained a big issue and that it was a matter the organization had been working on for some time.

IOC President Thomas Bach was seen in deep conversation with Biles on the floor of the Ariake Gymnastics Centre on Tuesday before handing out medals.

Biles was to appear in all six gymnastics event finals and a sweep of the gold medals would have given her 10, making her the most accomplished woman Olympian in any sport.

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