Iran's Sports Scandal at the Para-Asian Games; Blind Judoka Disqualified for Being Sighted

Media outlets have reported on a 'scandal' in Iranian sports at the Para-Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, revealing that an Iranian blind judoka was disqualified after it was discovered he could see. The website Tabnak reported that Vahid Jodi, a representative of the 73 kg weight class of the Iranian national judo team, had participated in three events in 2022 under the supervision of the Judo Federation for able-bodied athletes. He was identified and disqualified by referees and observers during the Para-Asian Games in Hangzhou. This news has also been published by several media outlets in Iran. Tabnak added that Vahid Jodi had competed in early 2022 in a multi-sport event in Baghdad wearing the Iranian national team uniform. He also competed for the national team in a four-nation tournament in St. Petersburg, Russia, and was a member of the national team at the Islamic Countries Games in Konya, Turkey. Tabnak noted that Vahid Jodi was not the only Iranian athlete disqualified; two other judokas out of eight sent to the competition were also barred from participating. According to reports, Omid Jafari, another Iranian judoka, was also not allowed to compete for unspecified reasons. In this context, the ISNA news agency reported: 'The judo competitions for the blind and visually impaired concluded at the Para-Asian Games in Hangzhou, China, with two Iranian judokas out of eight representatives not allowed to participate.' Mohammad Reza Mazlumi, the head of the Blind and Visually Impaired Sports Federation, responded to ISNA's inquiry about why the two representatives did not compete, stating: 'Both judokas were tested by WADA Iran before their departure to the Para-Asian Games in Hangzhou, and we were informed that the tests of both judokas were suspicious.' He added: 'Therefore, during the games, we held a meeting and, out of respect for WADA, we decided to prevent these two judokas from participating in the competitions.' The head of the Blind and Visually Impaired Federation also rejected the claim that one of the two judokas was not blind and had not been assigned a class at the Para-Asian Games. He stated: 'Because his test was suspicious, we did not allow him to participate in the games; otherwise, both athletes' names were included in the competition table, and there were no issues regarding classification for competition.' Two gold and silver medals won by Iran at the Para-Asian Games in Hangzhou have been revoked.