The Turkish player explained via his X account on Monday that the European Kung Fu Federation had opened an investigation against him for his support of Palestine during his European Kung Fu Championship victory ceremony last December, and that his title had been revoked.
He added that he had been threatened because of his support for Palestine, stressing that any achievement pales in comparison to a single drop of blood shed by the oppressed in Palestine.
Ak Yuz, who is currently visiting Egypt, threw his medal into the Nile River in protest against the injustice being perpetrated against him and against Palestine.
Last December, Ak Yuz celebrated his victory in the European Kung Fu Championship, held in Istanbul, by raising the Palestinian flag and performing the "hometown dance" known as the "dabke."
Following this, the European Kung Fu Federation launched an investigation into Akyuze's actions in solidarity with the Gaza Strip against the ongoing Israeli attacks since last October. The federation then recently announced the withdrawal of the Turkish athlete's championship title.
Since October 7, 2023, Israel, with full American support, has been waging a genocidal war in Gaza, leaving approximately 177,000 Palestinians dead or wounded, most of them children and women, and more than 11,000 missing.
