WASHINGTON (JTA) — Israel’s national anthem was not played at a fencing competition in Austria when two Israeli teens won medals.
The official in charge of playing national anthems at the European Cup fencing competition over the weekend said he was unable to find a recording of Israel’s national song, "Hatikvah," according to UPI.
Dana Stralinkov, 14, and Alona Komarov, 13, won gold and bronze medals, respectively.
During the medal ceremony, the teens waited to hear the Israeli anthem before singing the song themselves a cappella after a few minutes of silence.
"It was a very moving moment," said their coach, Yaakov Friedman.
Friedman noted that a similar incident had taken place five months ago at a competition in Sweden.
The tournament featured 120 participants from 20 countries.
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