Secretary of Iran's Olympic Committee: We Will Never Recognize Israel

The Secretary of Iran's National Olympic Committee reacted to the disqualification of an Iranian wrestler and coach for avoiding a match against an Israeli representative. Shahrokh Shahnaazi stated in a live television interview: 'We do not recognize Israel and we will not share the podium with their athletes.' Shahnaazi said, 'I have told my friends to conduct a research project, and I personally believe that many Israeli immigrant athletes may not be Jewish. Because the Jewish population in the world is not large enough for them to have so many athletes competing globally.' He did not explain the significance of his research findings or how the religion of athletes relates to the IOC and its regulations. He claimed that in Israel, these immigrant athletes from newly independent republics are temporarily granted citizenship and are then abandoned after their championship careers. The Secretary of the Iranian Olympic Committee emphasized the need for training for athletes, coaches, and team managers regarding the refusal to compete against Israeli athletes, so they do not become vulnerable in critical situations. In this context, program host Gholamali Pirayrani said: 'The coach should have told the wrestler more calmly that he should concede the result.' Shahnaazi stated: 'We should use the slogans of the Olympic movement and engage in a social discussion about 'this regime that has a cursed history.' We should address discrimination, crimes, and racial issues that are part of the Olympic slogans, and gradually establish this in the world.' The Secretary of the Iranian National Olympic Committee reminded: 'We should say that our athletes do not compete because they are criminals, not because we have a political issue.' He further emphasized in his television interview: 'I firmly say that there is a way to deal with Israel if we engage in discussions with the IOC and international federations to say that they are a criminal entity.' The Secretary claimed that Israel is willing to pay any cost for Iranian athletes to compete with them. 'At the table tennis world championships I attended, the Israelis said they would give us whatever we wanted to come and play with them.' One of the most controversial parts of this interview was Shahnaazi's claim about Thomas Bach, the German president of the International Olympic Committee. Shahnaazi said: 'We were in Lausanne and were talking with Thomas Bach and his deputies, and these discussions were raised there. They indicated that they too are tired of this regime and that it has caused them problems and does not allow them to carry out their work comfortably.' Previously, Rasul Khadem, in an interview with Iranian news agencies, addressed the officials of the Islamic Republic of Iran, saying: 'If you do not have the masculine ability to stand by your beliefs, at least be free. Let us be suspended honestly without begging others and while maintaining dignity.' The head of the wrestling federation emphasized: 'We can no longer lose to a previous opponent. We do not know any magic to change the draws. If the country's policy is not to compete, then what does it mean to secretly lose to a previous opponent and go to clinics abroad to obtain a certificate of illness?'