Former Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei dedicated the silver medal he won in the men’s 81-kilogram division on Tuesday to Israel.

“This medal is also dedicated to Israel, and I hope the Israelis are happy with this achievement,” Mollaei said, according to a Kan News report.

It was Mollaei’s first Olympic medal, which he won as a representative of Mongolia, the country that offered him refuge after he fled Iran after he was ordered to intentionally lose the semi-final at the Tokyo 2019 World Championship to avoid competing against Israeli world champion Sagi Muki.

Iran’s order to Mollaei led the International Judo Federation (IJF) to indefinitely ban Iran from all international competitions. The IJF stated that the ban would be in effect “until the Iran Judo Federation gives strong guarantees and prove that they will respect the IJF Statutes and accept that their athletes fight against Israeli athletes”.

(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)