Canadian and Israeli tennis teams faced off in Halifax this weekend to advance in the Davis Cup competition, but after a concerted campaign by anti-Israel groups to see the Israeli team boycotted, the matches were played without spectators due to security concerns.
Videos and photographs shared on Instagram by the Israel Tennis Association showed that the three Friday and Saturday matches featured rows of empty seats.
Anti-Israel protesters gathered in a park on Friday and Saturday next to the Scotiabank Centre, where the tennis matches were being played, waving Palestinian flags and playing music. The No Love for Genocide Campaign, organized by groups including Palestine Solidarity Halifax and Canadian BDS Coalition, demanded on social media the cancellation of the matches, that the Davis Cup organizers suspend the Israeli team, and that the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation (CBC) cancel the broadcast. Speakers decried Halifax Mayor Andy Fillmore for allowing the matches to continue, with one effigy of the Canadian politician labeling him a "Zionist puppet."
"Sportswashing is a crime," members chanted in a Friday march, alleging that the event was part of an effort by the Israeli state to distract from alleged war crimes through sports.
Tennis Canada had announced on Tuesday that it had implemented the measure to close the venue after consultation with the International Tennis Federation. The decision was not taken lightly, said Tennis Canada, but the team felt that it had to act in response to "escalating safety concerns," some of which arose from local and national law enforcement intelligence.
Taking into consideration the disruptions at public events in Canada and abroad, Tennis Canada said that there was a "risk of significant disruption to this event," and wanted to ensure the safety of athletes, fans, staff, volunteers, and ball kids.
“At the heart of this difficult decision is our responsibility to protect people while ensuring that this Davis Cup tie can still take place,” Tennis Canada CEO Gavin Ziv said in a Tuesday statement. “We were forced to conclude that playing behind closed doors was the only way to both safeguard those involved and preserve the event itself. While this outcome is very disappointing, it allows the tie to proceed in Halifax and ensures that our athletes can continue to compete at the highest international level. We are looking forward to returning to Halifax with Team Canada in the coming years to ensure we can fulfill our mission of promoting tennis and creating opportunities for fans and players to engage with the sport in Nova Scotia and across the country.”
Israeli players instructed not to speak with media
The Jerusalem Post had reported on Friday that Israeli team members had been instructed not to speak with the media and share travel or accommodation details amid general security challenges for Jewish and Israeli athletes abroad.
The Centre for Israel and Jewish Affairs bemoaned the closure of the games to tennis fans on Wednesday, launching an email campaign to urge Canadian leaders to take action after the sporting event became the latest public event to see disruption by anti-Israel activists, with the Ottawa Capital Pride parade being cancelled just last month.
CIJA CEO Noah Shack said on X that Canada's leaders "must decide whether we are a nation governed by peace, order, and good government—or one where fear and intimidation dictate our way of life.”
“Cheering for Team Canada is part of what it means to be Canadian. Yet, a small group of extremists has hijacked the Davis Cup, silencing thousands of fans—many of whom travelled from afar—who simply wanted to show pride in their country," Shack said on Tuesday. “Tennis Canada’s decision was made to protect Canadians in the face of serious threats. It is unacceptable that hate, harassment, and intimidation have made it unsafe to support our athletes in our own country.”
Tennis Canada had previously rejected calls to cancel the event, telling the CBC in August that while it acknowledged the complex situation in the Middle East, its role was to “promote the sport and provide opportunities for players and fans while ensuring the Halifax tie is contested in a safe and professional environment.”
An open letter signed by Canadian Olympian Moh Ahmed and former UN ambassador Stephen Lewis called on Tennis Canada to withdraw from the events with its Israeli counterpart in response to a supposed genocide in Gaza.
"Your refusal to play Israel would be a thunderclap of moral clarity," read the letter. "To withdraw from this tournament would not be a defeat."
Canadian BDS Coalition and several other organizations involved in the No Love for Genocide campaign had sent over 47,000 letters to decision makers demanding a boycott of the Israeli tennis team.
Dozens more organizations, including the Canadian Muslim Public Affairs Council, sent an August 18 letter to Fillmore warning that the matches had to be canceled because "Proceeding with this event constitutes complicity."
Israel lost three matches to Canada during the weekend games, resulting in victory for the hosts and allowing them to advance in their grouping.
Howard Blas contributed to this report.