An Iranian weightlifter has been given a lifetime ban by authorities in the Islamic Republic after shaking hands with an Israeli competitor at an event in Poland, state media IRNA has reported.
Mostafa Rajaei shook hands with Israeli weightlifter Maksim Svirsky on Saturday after they both stood on the podium at a World Masters championship in Poland’s Wieliczka. Rajaei, a veteran weightlifter, finished second in his category in the 2023 World Master Weightlifting Championships.
“The weightlifting federation bans athlete Mostafa Rajaei for life from entering all sports facilities in the country and dismisses the head of the delegation for the competition, Hamid Salehinia,” the body announced in a statement.
According to the IRNA report, Rajaei “crossed the red lines of the Islamic Republic” at the event where the Iranian delegation had been “sent with the support of the federation.”
In 2021, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei urged athletes “not to shake hands with a representative of the [Israeli] criminal regime to obtain a medal.”
For years, Iranian athletes have been managing to avoid meeting Israelis in competitions, often by getting disqualified or providing medical certificates testifying that they were unwell.
Chess player Alireza Firouzja left Iran after the sport’s federation banned him from playing in the 2019 World Championship for fear he would face an Israeli player. He is now a naturalized French citizen.
In 2019, Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei fled the Islamic Republic after he refused to boycott a match against Israel’s Sagi Muki. He later became a citizen of Mongolia.
