Egyptian athlete refuses to shake Israeli opponent's hand

An Egyptian Olympic athlete was booed in Rio on Friday after he refused to shake his Israeli opponent's hand following a judo match. After Or Sasson of Israel defeated Islam El Shehaby of Egypt, Sasson offered his hand, as is customary in judo. El Shehaby responded by shaking his head and backing away.

Because it's common etiquette in judo for opponents to bow or shake hands both before and after a match, the referee urged El Shehaby to go back out for a handshake. Even then, all El Shehaby would offer his Israeli opponent was a brief nod.

"That is extremely rare in judo," American judo coach Jimmy Pedro told The New York Times. "It is especially disrespectful considering it was a clean throw and a fair match. It was completely dishonorable and totally unsportsmanlike on the part of the Egyptian." An International Judo Federation spokesman told The Associated Press that El Shehaby's "attitude will be reviewed after the Games to see if any further action should be taken."

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However, the federation also said it was a big step forward for the match to even take place, given the countries' tense history. "This is already a big improvement that Arabic countries accept to (fight) Israel," a spokesman told Mashable.

Watch the moment of tension below. Becca Stanek