Iran bans weightlifter for life over handshake with Israeli

An Iranian weightlifter has received a lifetime ban from authorities in Iran for shaking hands with an Israeli competitor during a sporting event in Poland. Mostafa Rajaei, who is in his 40s, shook hands with Israeli weightlifter Maksim Svirsky after both athletes stood on the podium at a World Masters championship in Wieliczka, Poland.

Following this incident, the weightlifting federation in Iran announced that Mostafa Rajaei has been banned for life from entering any sports facilities within the country. Additionally, Hamid Salehinia, the head of the Iranian delegation for the competition, has been dismissed from his position.

Iran’s animosity towards Israel, its long-standing adversary, means that the country prohibits any form of contact between Iranian and Israeli athletes. The act of shaking hands with an Israeli competitor was seen as crossing the “red lines of the Islamic republic,” according to a statement from the weightlifting federation.

Iranian athletes have historically avoided competing against Israelis by various means, such as disqualification or providing medical certificates claiming illness. In 2021, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, urged athletes not to engage with representatives of the “Israeli criminal regime” to win medals.

This incident further highlights the complex and politically charged environment that often intersects with international sports competitions.

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