Two handshakes, one net: the moment Egypt-Israel sport skipped its usual script at BWF Worlds
A few seconds before the start of their match at the World Championships in New Delhi, Egyptian badminton player Adham Hatem Elgamal and Israel’s Daniil Dubovenko did something that, in another context, would barely register.
It was late on Tuesday night, with the day’s penultimate match about to get under way.
They shook hands.
About 40 minutes later, after Dubovenko had beaten Elgamal 21-10 21-8 in their first-round match, the two reached out over the net and did it again.
Another handshake.
In the charged world of sport involving Egypt and Israel, the two gestures were anything but insignificant.
“I honestly don’t know how to talk politics,” Elgamal told Sportstar afterwards. “Because in badminton, and when it comes to sports, there shouldn’t be politics. I know that outside badminton, Egypt and Israel aren’t, you know (sic) …. but here in badminton, we need to show respect to each other. I think sports should be outside this,” he said.
He paused.
“But I have nothing more to say about this.”
Elgamal’s decision comes at a particularly sensitive time for Egyptian sport. Just weeks earlier, Egyptian fencer Mohamed El-Sayed refused to shake hands with Israeli opponents after Egypt defeated Israel 39-38 in the men’s team épée bronze-medal match at the World Fencing Championships in Hong Kong. El-Sayed instead dusted his shoulder, then knelt and pointed towards the sky after the victory.
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That wasn’t an isolated incident. At the junior World Championships in Rio de Janeiro in April, Israel’s men’s épée team also reported that Egyptian opponents refused to shake their hands after their meeting, which Israel won.
While tensions have run particularly high since Israel invaded Gaza in 2023, there is a longer history of such incidents. At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refused the outstretched hand of Israel’s Or Sasson after losing their bout and was subsequently reprimanded by the IOC. Earlier, Egyptian judoka Ramadan Darwish had refused to shake hands with Israel’s Ariel Ze’evi in 2011 and 2012.
Elgamal, however, saw no reason to carry that history onto the badminton court.
Dubovenko carries unusual baggage himself. Born in Russia, he represented that country in international competition before switching allegiance to Israel in 2023, not long after his birth country was barred from competing internationally over its invasion of Ukraine.
At the World Championships in New Delhi, players from Ukraine have spoken about barring Russians, even those competing under a neutral flag.
Despite playing for Israel, Dubovenko has since risen rapidly through the world rankings. The 20-year-old has already beaten several established players this season, including Malaysia’s Lee Zii Jia, the former Asian champion and Paris Olympic bronze medallist, at the Thailand Open in May, and former world number 1 Kidambi Srikanth at the Korea Masters earlier this month.
“He’s a very tough opponent,” Elgamal said. “He’s played many high-level matches previously.”
The Egyptian had never played Dubovenko before, although he says he had watched him play.
“I think he’s from the top 50 now. He’s top 50 now, and he has improved a lot since the time he was playing for Russia,” he said.
Elgamal, however, had not arrived in New Delhi in ideal condition. After winning the African Championships in February, he said he went through a ‘difficult’ period with the badminton community back home and trained for only three or four weeks before the World Championships. He spent his final three weeks preparing with Thailand’s national team.
Still, reaching a third World Championships (he had previously competed in 2022 and 2023) was a source of pride for Elgamal, who had previously taken part in the mixed doubles event at the Tokyo Olympics five years ago.
“It’s a proud moment for me to represent Egypt and the whole of Africa,” he said.
Elgamal says he wants to do more, though. “I really want to do something not just for my country but for the whole region and Africa and the Arab region,” he said. “Because we have never got to a high level in badminton. It’s time to change that.”
The result against Dubovenko did not go his way. But before and after the match, Elgamal chose to acknowledge his opponent. With his handshake across the net, he might have had an impact that extended well beyond the court.
Published on Aug 19, 2026
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