Committee for veteran weightlifters also dissolved after the two athletes take photo at championships in Poland.

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.

    • blackbelt352@lemmy.sdf.org
      1·
      1 year ago

      Yeah none of that politics stuff like how Jackie Robinson playing baseball definitely wasn’t political, and the US vs Soviets 1980 Olympics definitely wasn’t politically charged, and people definitely were expressing their dislike of the Soviets during the game or the entire point of the Olympics being a peaceful gathering of nation states for competition ia definitely not political, or all the taxpayer money that goes to building stadiums also isnt political, or that the owners of sports teams are politically active isnt… political. Oh… wait.

  • krayj@sh.itjust.worksEnglish
    0·
    1 year ago

    They are opposed to even the most basic form of civility. Yeah, we already knew that, this just makes it clear to the doubters.

  • some_guy@lemmy.sdf.org
    01·
    1 year ago

    You’ve gotta be pretty insecure to have a complete breakdown over a minor issue. Really makes Irans government appear weak.