Antisemitism in Sports: What the Conference in Bratislava Revealed and Why Europe Can No Longer Pretend Nothing is Happening

In Slovakia, a conference took place that no one had previously attempted to organize in such a format. On November 25–26, 2025, as part of the MAZEL TOV Jewish culture festival, representatives of sports and Jewish organizations from eight countries met in Bratislava. The initiative by Maccabi Ukraine, Jewrope, Slovak Maccabi, and B’nai B’rith Tolerancia was the first attempt to open a topic that is usually spoken about in whispers, although it has long outgrown local incidents.

The event’s title — “The Other Side of the Medal: Anti-Semitism in Sports.” It was hard to come up with a more precise name.

Moderator Tomas Stern immediately set the tone. Sport, he said, is too visible to remain outside politics. His words sounded not like a thesis for a panel but as a statement of the problem: “People do not realize how powerful sport is.”

The increase in incidents after the start of the war between Israel and Hamas only reinforced the feeling that these are not isolated episodes. This is a system. In the stands, calls for hatred are heard, some teams refuse to compete against Israeli opponents, and online, the events turn into organized pressure — harassment that cannot be ignored.

President of Maccabi Europe Dagmar Havorikova described the situation more harshly. She spoke about the “rise of anti-Semitism on the continent” and how sport has become a tool for anti-Israel forces. She then clarified: if sport is used so effectively against Jews, then it must also be used for protection. Her phrase that “violence and hatred directed against Israel and Jews are united” sounded almost like a warning from a politician, not a sports official.

Havorikova separately mentioned significant incidents involving Israeli clubs in Europe. Essentially — an ordinary match can become a platform for political conflict in a matter of minutes. And it often does. “Anti-Israel activists cannot always point out Israel on a map,” she said. “But that doesn’t stop them.”

The presence of diplomats, including representatives of European structures, gave the event significant weight. The support of Maccabi USA and the European Network of Practitioners Against Anti-Semitism showed that this topic goes beyond Jewish communities. The scale of the problem is international, and the approach must also be international.

Unlike more politicized speeches, Lior Eisenberg (Chess4All and Chess4Solidarity) spoke about specific experiences. He reminded that Israeli sports initiatives often involve teams of various nationalities — from the Middle East to Europe. More than 25,000 participants are already involved in his projects. These numbers rather show how much sport generally does not enter the media space. And how often it works as a tool for dialogue — just without headlines.

Eric Rubin, global ambassador of Maccabi World Union, chose a different line. He presented projects involving NBA athletes and Olympians — campaigns that explain anti-Semitism through real stories and experiences of athletes, not through dry theory. He emphasized that many of them change their view of Israel only when they see the country with their own eyes. “When athletes get to know Israel in practice, they realize how far the facts are from the BDS narrative,” Rubin said.

Athletes have influence. And influence has an audience that listens to it.

In the final part of the conference, participants spoke about the obvious: without international cooperation, proper monitoring, and educational programs, the fight will be sporadic and delayed. Sports federations must receive tools, fans — clear rules, and Jewish communities — confidence that their safety does not depend on a specific match.

The organizers stated directly: the goal is not only to reduce the level of hatred in stadiums. In a broader sense — to strengthen Jewish life in Europe. In the country where the conference was held, this sounded especially symbolic.

Detailed analyses of initiatives, federation reactions, and materials on how European institutions are adapting to new risks are published on NAnews — Israel News | Nikk.Agency, because without this data it is difficult to see what exactly is changing on the continent and where sport ceases to be a neutral space.