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Iran Imposes Lifetime Ban on Weightlifter for Handshake with Israeli Competitor
Iran Imposes Lifetime Ban on Weightlifter for Handshake with Israeli Competitor
In a drastic move, Iranian authorities have issued a lifetime ban to a weightlifter from their country for the simple act of shaking hands with an Israeli competitor during an event in Poland.
Mostafa Rajaei, aged in his 40s, found himself at the centre of this controversy when he extended his hand in a gesture of sportsmanship to Israeli weightlifter Maksim Svirsky. The incident took place on the podium at the World Masters championship held in Wieliczka, Poland.
The National Weightlifting Federation announced this severe measure through a statement quoted by the state news agency IRNA, declaring that athlete Mostafa Rajaei is prohibited from entering any sports facilities in Iran for the rest of his life. Additionally, Hamid Salehinia, the head of the delegation for the competition, was dismissed from his role.
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This action comes against the backdrop of Iran’s enduring refusal to acknowledge the existence of Israel, its long-standing adversary, leading to stringent regulations that bar any form of interaction between Iranian and Israeli athletes. According to the IRNA report, Rajaei’s actions were deemed to have “crossed the red lines of the Islamic republic.” It’s noteworthy that the Iranian delegation had been sent to the event with the explicit support of the national weightlifting federation.
Rajaei boasts a history of representing his nation, having previously been a member of the Iranian national weightlifting team. His achievements include participation in the Asian Weightlifting Championships in 2015, hosted in Thailand.
In 2021, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, explicitly urged athletes to abstain from shaking hands with representatives of the “Israeli criminal regime” in order to secure medals. Over the years, Iranian athletes have employed various strategies to avoid encounters with Israeli counterparts in competitions, frequently resulting in disqualifications or the submission of medical certificates citing illness.
One striking instance is the departure of young chess prodigy Alireza Firouzja from Iran. The country’s chess federation prohibited Firouzja from participating in the 2019 world championship, fearing he would face an Israeli opponent. In response, Firouzja, now a naturalized French citizen, left Iran to continue his career on more inclusive terms.
