Four-time Olympic long-distance runner Moh Ahmed is one of 413 Canadian signatories calling on Tennis Canada to cancel Canada’s Davis Cup tie with Israel in Halifax this September.
The letter frames the Sept. 12-13 Davis Cup tie against the backdrop of what it calls rising condemnation of Israel’s conduct in Gaza and the West Bank, citing legal scholars and human rights groups who have described it as genocide against the Palestinian people.
The signatories note that Canada has already sanctioned senior Israeli cabinet ministers Bezalel Smotrich and Itamar Ben-Gvir — a move that mirrored actions by the U.K., Australia, New Zealand and Norway — and argue it would be ‘unconscionable’ to proceed with the competition.
Among the signatories are three UN Special Rapporteurs, two Palestinian women’s national soccer players now at York University, and Hernan Humana, a former Olympic beach volleyball coach and current York professor.
The letter cites athletes elsewhere who have refused to face Israeli opponents, and urges national sport bodies to bar Canadians from competing against Israelis in any international event.
Tennis Canada did not immediately respond for comment.
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Aug. 18, 2025.
The Canadian Press
