The Co-Knucklehead of the Day award Part One

There are so many knuckleheads out there, I'm going to give out at least four awards today.

Our first winner is the Indonesian Tennis Association. They are refusing to play a Women's Fed Cup match in Israel because the predominantly Muslim country doesn't recognize the Jewish state.

Sports should be above politics. Sadly they aren't, politicians of many different beliefs use them as forums for their beliefs or refuse to attend events because of another nation's politics. The USA has been guilty of this, remember the 1980 Summer Olympics boycott?

For playing politcs instead of tennis, The Indonesian Tennis association is today's first Co-Knucklehead of the day.

Open Post- Bright & Early, Basil's Blog, Right Wing Nation, Cao's Blog, Jo's Cafe, TMH's Bacon Bits, Third World County, Mudville Gazette,

JAKARTA, Indonesia - Indonesia refused to play a Fed Cup series in Israel in July and wants the women's tennis matches switched to a neutral country.

Indonesia, home to about 190 million Muslims, has no diplomatic relations with Israel and has long supported Palestinian independence.

"We cannot play in Israel," August Ferry Raturandang, the Indonesian Tennis Association deputy secretary-general, said Thursday.

If the request for a venue change is denied, the Indonesian team will have to forfeit. Raturandang told The Associated Press his group would be fined $5,000 and banned for a year.

The two countries have met twice in the Fed Cup — in Italy (1974) and Japan (1981) — and Israel won both times.

Israel earned a promotion as a winner in the Europe/Africa Zone Group I. The International Tennis Federation said Tuesday that Israel would host Indonesia in the July 15-16 World Group II playoffs. Indonesia must win the July playoff to stay in World Group II.