India’s refusal to shake hands with Pakistan after their seven-wicket victory in the Asia Cup on Sunday has once again underlined how political and diplomatic tensions often spill over into sport.
The Indian players said the gesture was in solidarity with victims of the Pahalgam terror attack that left 26 people dead, with captain Suryakumar Yadav stating that “there are certain matters in life that transcend sportsmanship.”
Pakistan captain Salman Agha boycotted the post-match presentation ceremony, while the Pakistan Cricket Board lodged an official complaint with the International Cricket Council against match referee Andy Pycroft. The ICC was also told that players had been advised to forgo pre-match handshakes.
International sport has long seen politics override fair play, with global competitions often serving as extensions of political conflict.
Here are some of the most significant incidents across sports.
Ukraine–Russia
Since Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in 2022, Ukrainian tennis players have routinely refused handshakes with Russian and Belarusian opponents.
Elina Svitolina turned away from Victoria Azarenka at Wimbledon 2023, Marta Kostyuk rejected Aryna Sabalenka at the French Open, and Lesia Tsurenko repeated the act at the 2024 Australian Open.
All three framed their protest as a reminder of the war, drawing both jeers from crowds and support from the Women’s Tennis Association.
Egypt–Israel
At the 2016 Rio Olympics, Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refused to shake hands with Israeli rival Or Sasson after their bout, bowing only under pressure from the referee.
Egyptian judoka Islam El Shehaby refused to shake hands with Israeli rival Or Sasson/ File
The International Olympic Committee expelled him, calling his conduct “inappropriate.”
Similar gestures have been documented since 2011, with Arab athletes avoiding Israeli opponents in multiple judo events.
Soviet 'Ghost Match'
One of the most surreal football protests came in 1973, when the Soviet Union refused to play Chile in Santiago for a World Cup qualifier after Augusto Pinochet’s military coup.
FIFA allowed the match to go ahead, with Chile scoring into an empty net in what became known as the “Ghost Match.”
Striker Carlos Caszely, who opposed the dictatorship, later called the spectacle “a nightmare.”
Iran boycotts Israel
Iran has enforced a blanket boycott of Israeli athletes for decades. At the 2004 Athens Olympics, judoka Arash Miresmaeili deliberately failed a weigh-in to avoid facing Israel’s Ehud Vaks, earning a cash reward equal to that of Olympic champions.
More recently, wrestler Mostafa Rajaee was banned for life at home after shaking hands with an Israeli competitor in 2023.
Cricket politics: From Apartheid to military caps
In 2019, India wore camouflage military caps during an ODI against Australia following the Pulwama attack, prompting a protest from Pakistan to the ICC.
During apartheid, seven rebel tours defied the global boycott of South Africa between 1982 and 1990, with participants banned from official cricket.
At the 2003 World Cup, Zimbabwe’s Andy Flower and Henry Olonga wore black armbands to mark the “death of democracy” under Robert Mugabe.
Hockey tensions
In 2017, India’s hockey team wore black armbands against Pakistan to mourn soldiers killed in Jammu and Kashmir, sparking diplomatic friction.
India’s hockey team wore black armbands against Pakistan in 2017/ File
In 2025, Pakistan withdrew from the Asia Cup hockey tournament in India citing safety concerns, a move that threatened their qualification path for the 2026 World Cup.
Olympic boycotts
The 1980 Moscow Games saw 65 nations, led by the United States, boycott in protest against the Soviet invasion of Afghanistan.
In 1986, 32 countries pulled out of the Commonwealth Games in Edinburgh over Britain’s stance on apartheid South Africa, leaving large gaps in competitions.
Argentina–England
Residual anger from the 1982 Falklands War shaped Argentina’s 1986 World Cup quarter-final against England. Diego Maradona later admitted that the game felt like “defending our flag, the dead kids, the survivors.”
Even in recent years, Argentine players have displayed banners asserting sovereignty over the islands, leading to FIFA disciplinary action.
Blood in the water
One of the most violent examples came at the 1956 Melbourne Olympics when Hungary faced the Soviet Union in water polo weeks after the crushing of the Hungarian Revolution.
A brutal contest left Hungarian player Ervin Zádor bloodied, sparking near-riots among spectators. The match became a Cold War symbol of defiance.
The Asia Cup episode is the latest reminder that in times of conflict and crisis, sporting spirit often yields to political symbolism.