Asian Champion Withdraws from National Team 'Due to Living Expenses'

The Asian judo champion announced his withdrawal from the national team of Iran, stating: 'I don't even think about this sport anymore. Life has expenses, and I have to support two families.' Javad Mohajoub, Iran's representative at the London Olympics, was excluded from the list of the national team for the world championships due to his absence from the national team selection competitions, and Ramin Safavi will take his place in the national team. Mohajoub told ISNA news agency: 'My wedding ceremony is in a few days, and due to lack of money, I have not been able to provide the necessary items for my life. Why should I continue in judo when no one cares about me and I have no income?' The Asian gold medalist emphasized: 'Life has expenses, and if necessary, I will work as a laborer to meet my needs. I sold my car to cover my training expenses, but not only did they not value my medal, but I also lost my means of livelihood.' The president of the Judo Federation, in an interview with Iranian state radio, stated that Mohajoub's withdrawal was due to 'leave to prepare for his wedding celebration.' However, 24-year-old Javad Mohajoub said: 'The conflicts among the federation officials have deprived them of the opportunity to plan.' He expressed his wishes for success to his teammates in the national team and mentioned that he would continue his sports activities in local wrestling. A member of the technical committee of the Judo Federation stated that the committee has 'no authority' in the technical matters of the national team and believes that if this committee is dissolved, nothing significant will happen. Reza Madani told ISNA: 'Decisions were supposed to be approved in the technical committee, but unfortunately, this never happened, rendering the committee's role completely neutralized. No invitations were sent to the members of the technical committee for the selection competitions, and I personally invited myself to watch the competitions.' Regarding Mohajoub's withdrawal from the national team, Mr. Madani said: 'Unfortunately, he has become self-important. I advise Mohajoub to think about the Olympics. The federation's problems should not affect his work. Since there is no second person in Mohajoub's weight category, he is confident that the officials will pursue him, but athlete supremacy in the national team will benefit no one.' The Iranian national team will participate in the kata competitions with the lineup of Mohammad Sediqi, Mehdi Fathipour, Vahid Bana, Saeed Malayi, and Ramin Safavi, heading to the world championships in Amsterdam. This team has failed to achieve success in recent years after the end of the championship era of Arash Mir Esmaeili and Mahmoud Miran. Frequent changes at the head of the federation and the national team's coaching staff, as well as numerous conflicts among the stakeholders in this sport, have been factors affecting the Iranian national team.