Iran has banned a weightlifter from sports for life and dissolved a sports committee after the athlete greeted an Israeli counterpart on a podium.
Mostafa Rajaei, a veteran weightlifter, finished second in his category in the 2023 World Master Weightlifting Championships in Poland and stood on a podium with an Iranian flag wrapped around him on Saturday.
On anther step of the podium stood Maksim Svirsky from Israel, who finished third.
The two athletes shook hands and took a picture together, which led to the Iran Weightlifting Federation banning Rajaei from all sports for life due to what it called an “unforgivable” transgression.
He probably meant the innocent people subject to that government.
I know, it can be hard for you to understand if you don’t want to.
it’s just this is more a decision of the government, not the people like the athletes involved. Iranian people I support, government not at all. I’d be surprised to hear many people say the Iranian government usually makes good calls, likely that’s not what they meant though