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Profile: Judo World Champion From Iran Refuses to Compete Against an Israeli Opponent at the Olympics
All Things Considered: August 16, 2004
Olympics Bring a Snub of Israel by Iran
ROBERT SIEGEL, host:
This is ALL THINGS CONSIDERED from NPR News. I'm Robert Siegel.
MICHELE NORRIS, host:
And I'm Michele Norris.
Over the weekend, one Olympic event was notable by the absence of a competitor. Missing from the judo matches was the world champion in his weight class. He was from Iran, and he was told to avoid facing an Israeli opponent. NPR's Howard Berkes reports the incident is a reminder that politics are never far from the Olympics.
HOWARD BERKES reporting:
At the opening ceremony of the Athens Olympics, an athlete marched into the stadium carrying his national flag, with teammates and coaches trailing behind him.
SOUNDBITE OF OPENING CEREMONY
Unidentified Woman: Islamic Republic of Iran!
BERKES: It must have been a proud moment for Arash Miresmaeili, a judo world champion at under 145 pounds, the gold medal favorite in Athens, leading his country's procession into the Olympics. But two days later, Miresmaeili either found himself, or thrust himself, into the biggest political controversy of the Games. He was quoted by Iran's official news agency as declining to fight an Israeli in support of the Palestinian cause. Something similar happened in 1968, says David Wallechinsky, an Olympic historian.
Mr. DAVID WALLECHINSKY (Olympic Historian): Morocco qualified for the Olympic soccer tournament. But when they heard that their draw was going to be against Israel, they refused to participate in the Olympic tournament. Morocco didn't get punished for having done that because they withdrew before the tournament began.
BERKES: Entire nations have boycotted, Wallechinsky adds, but athlete boycotts are almost unheard of.
Miresmaeili's withdrawal was ordered by his country, according to a spokeswoman for the Iranian Olympic Committee. Several Iranian Olympic officials declined NPR's request for interviews. Government officials in Tehran left no doubt. A spokesman told a news conference that Iranian athletes must not compete with Israelis. Government policy, he says, does not recognize what he called the Zionist regime. David Wallechinsky says all this puts the athlete in a tough spot.
Mr. WALLECHINSKY: He is open to sanction because he has refused to fight for an unauthorized reason. He had made his point, but now he doesn't want to be sanctioned. So what he does is he conveniently shows up for the weigh-in overweight and is disqualified. He is not sanctioned because being overweight is not a sanctionable offense; it happens all the time.
BERKES: But being overweight is an extraordinary mistake for a world champion and gold medal favorite. The Israeli athlete involved expressed sympathy for Iranian Miresmaeili. Ehud Vaks wasn't available today, but Israeli team press officer Yaron Michaeli spoke.
Mr. YARON MICHAELI (Israeli Team Press Officer): We are shameful the Iranian delegation and for the Iranian government maybe if they give the order. And we are sorry for the Iranian guy because we know him as a very good judoka. I think he missed yesterday the gold medal here because he's a very good one; he's better than the Israeli guy. And then somebody come to him and say to him, `Hey, you cannot compete.' It is anti-sport.
BERKES: One Iranian official said Miresmaeili's boycott should be rewarded with more than $100,000 in cash. Another said the motivation was support for Palestine. But a Palestinian runner was asked here today whether she would refuse to compete against Israelis. Sanna Abubkheet answered with the help of an interpreter.
Ms. SANNA ABUBKHEET (Palestinian Olympic Runner): (Through Translator) No, because the sport is a very good way to be in peace and loved by other people that we have learned from the Olympic Games.
BERKES: The head of the Israeli Judo Federation called for tough punishment today to prevent other countries from following suit. The International Judo Federation is considering unspecified sanctions. Howard Berkes, NPR News, Athens.
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