Iranian weightlifter Mostafa Rajaei receives a lifetime ban for shaking hands with an Israeli competitor during an international competition.
Recently, Iranian weightlifter Mostafa Rajaei has been banned for life from all sports facilities in his home country.
He received the ban after he was caught shaking hands with an Israeli competitor.
This decision by the Iran Weightlifting Federation has sparked outrage and highlighted the complex political tensions.
Iranian weightlifter had a successful career before the ban
Rajaei competed in the World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Poland last year, where he had a successful outing.
He even broke the world record for the clean and jerk with an incredible lift of 430 pounds.
However, his triumph was short-lived as a simple act of sportsmanship eventually led to the demise of his athletic career.
Weightlifter faces lifetime prohibition for shaking competitor’s hand
After the competition, Rajaei was spotted shaking hands with his Israeli counterpart, Maksim Svirsky.
This gesture, which is commonly seen as a display of respect and camaraderie among athletes, was deemed unacceptable by the Iran Weightlifting Federation.
In a harsh and swift decision, they announced that Rajaei would be banned for life from entering any sports facilities in the country.
They also dismissed the head of the Iranian delegation, Hamid Salehinia, as a result of the incident.
“The weightlifting federation bans athlete Mostafa Rajaei for life from entering all sports facilities in the country and dismisses the head of the delegation for the competition, Hamid Salehinia,” the federation issued.
The federation described Rajaei’s handshake as “unforgivable,” stating that he had “crossed the red lines of the Islamic Republic” despite being “sent with the support of the federation.”
Why did the federation strictly ban the weightlifter for his handshake?
This decision shows Iran’s strict rules about any contact with Israeli athletes.
These rules are due to the long political tensions between the two countries.
Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, had previously instructed Iranian athletes to avoid shaking hands with “representatives of the (Israeli) criminal regime” to obtain medals.
This policy has led to numerous incidents where Iranian athletes have been disqualified or withdrawn from events to avoid facing Israeli competitors.
Another case of athletic banning
The case of Rajaei is not the first time a similar situation has arisen.
In 2019, Iranian chess prodigy Alireza Firouzja was banned from competing in the world championships.
The ban was due to the possibility of facing an Israeli opponent.
Because of these restrictions, Firouzja moved to France to continue his chess career without limitations.
Iran’s stance on the issue has only intensified in recent times.
Just last week, the country’s foreign ministry called for Israel to be banned from the upcoming Paris Olympics.
They condemned the “reception and protection of Israeli athletes” and demanded their exclusion from the games.