Crowning an Iranian player at an international tournament in Israel

Iranian Said Moulay won the silver medal in an international judo championship in Israel on Friday.

Moulay participated in the “Grand Slam-Tel Aviv” tournament, after having fled his country after ignoring orders from the authorities asking him to withdraw from a fight in a previous tournament, in order to avoid facing a competitor Israeli.

Moulay, the 2018 world judo champion, fled Iran to Germany after saying authorities pressured him to withdraw from the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo, in order to avoid the possibility of fight Israeli player Saji Muki in the final match.

Moulay, who refused to retire and reached the semi-finals in Tokyo, obtained refugee status in Germany and then naturalized Mongolian nationality, and participated in the “Grand Slam-Tel Aviv” tournament, representing Mongolia .

Iran, which has not recognized Israel since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, has been banned from participating, indefinitely, in international judo competitions after the Said Moulay incident.

Source: Reuters

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