(Tehran) Iran has a bad habit of pulling its competitors in any sport if they get drawn to fight an Israeli. Time and time again the world has looked the otherway, well no more in one field, Tehran has been banned indefinitely from international Judo competitions until it can give strong guarantees that its athletes will be allowed to face Israelis, the International Judo Federation (IJF) has said.
The decision follows a suspension imposed on the
Iran Judo Federation on Sept. 18 for putting pressure on one of its fighters to
withdraw from the world judo championships to avoid having to face an Israeli
opponent. The ban extends to all competitions, administrative and social
activities organised or authorised by the IJF and its unions. Iran has 21 days
to appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport, the IJF said in a statement
here. Naturally the mad mullahs are currently the victim card. with the Iranian federation’s chief Arash Miresmaeili denouncing the decision as “a cruel and a blatant betrayal,”
“The international federation shouldn’t have taken such a measure against judo in Iran merely based on a false claim by an athlete,”
