Israel's Olympic surfer Anat Lelior competed at last month's WSL (World Surf League) Qualifying Series event in Morocco with her nationality designation temporarily altered. During the Pro Taghazout Bay competition, the Israeli flag was absent from Lelior's profile on the WSL website, where she was instead classified as «World». The flag reappeared once the event concluded. According to The Inertia, this decision likely aimed to protect Lelior during her time in Morocco amid tensions related to the Gaza conflict. Israel had previously issued travel advisories urging its citizens to exercise caution when traveling to several countries, including Morocco, citing security concerns. WSL did not provide immediate clarification about the flag removal, while the Israeli Surfing Association acknowledged the situation but deferred to Lelior's management team, the same source added. Lelior secured third place in the competition, earning 1825 points toward her Qualifying Series ranking and $2,000 in prize money after being defeated by Portugal's Francisca Veselko in the semifinals. Following the event, Lelior posted on Instagram: «3rd place finish in Taghazout, Morocco. Qualified for the Challenger Series! Not much to say other than, let's go! Proud of myself».
