July 16, 2022 | New York Daily News
Knocking anti-Israel bias to the mat
July 16, 2022 | New York Daily News
Knocking anti-Israel bias to the mat
Three years, two nationalities and one pandemic later, Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei finally faced his Israeli opponent — and now best friend — Sagi Muki, on the mat. Their unlikely friendship, the topic of an upcoming television series, began in 2019 when the Iranian regime threatened Mollaei for planning to fight Muki at the world championships — a violation of Tehran’s sports boycott of Israel.
Fortunately, Mollaei’s story did not have a tragic ending like that of wrestling champion Navid Afkari — tortured and executed by the regime for engaging in peaceful protest. The International Judo Federation (IJF) protected Mollaei and suspended Iran for violating the Olympic Charter and its principle of non-discrimination — a demonstration of how global sporting bodies have a pivotal role to play in opposing prejudice and protecting human rights.
Sporting bodies’ increased adherence to the principle of fair play, along with growing acceptance of Israel, have hampered persistent boycotts like Iran’s. As a result, Tehran now pretends to follow the rules, while having its athletes suffer mysterious injuries, fail their weigh-ins and throw matches. Iran forced Mollaei to do just that in 2019.
In February that year, Mollaei intentionally lost at the Paris Grand Slam. Had he won, his next opponent would have been Muki. Mollaei went on to win the bronze medal, but feigned an injury to avoid standing on the podium with Muki.
In May 2019, following pressure from the IJF, including threats to have Iran banned from the 2020 Olympics, the heads of Iran’s Olympic committee and judo federation, Reza Salehi Amiri and Arash Miresmaeili, declared they would “fully respect the Olympic Charter and its non-discrimination principle.” The matter appeared to have been settled.
But in August 2019, Mollaei again found himself on a collision course with Muki at the World Judo Championships in Tokyo. Iranian officials warned Mollaei to lose early in the tournament to avoid the Israeli. But Mollaei refused, breezing by his opponents. With Mollaei edging closer to a faceoff with Muki, an Iranian embassy official trespassed into the coaches’ and athletes’ section to warn Mollaei in person. Amiri, the Iranian Olympic committee chair who committed his government to non-discrimination, called Mollaei’s coach to hammer home the regime’s message. On video chat, Amiri warned Mollaei that security forces were at his parents’ house and that there would be consequences for disobeying the regime. Mollaei lost his matches, ensuring he would not face Muki or share a podium with him.
But Mollaei had had enough of the regime’s intimidation. Behind the scenes, IJF staff escorted Mollaei and secured his passport and belongings. IJF President Marius Vizer personally reassured Mollaei that the judo federation understood his predicament and would support him. Vizer helped Mollaei seek asylum in Germany, and secure the right to compete on behalf of Mongolia and later Azerbaijan. Mollaei has not returned to Iran since.
Weeks after the fateful tournament in Tokyo, the IJF issued Iran a preliminary suspension, followed by a continuing suspension that would remain in place until Iran issued strong commitments to fair play and non-discrimination. However, Iran would not miss much as the pandemic canceled most tournaments.
In March 2021, the Court of Arbitration for Sport (CAS) agreed that Iran violated IJF rules but annulled Iran’s suspension, finding that IJF bylaws did not allow for an indefinite suspension. The IJF responded by converting the suspension to a four-year ban, which Iran appealed. The CAS is reportedly expected to issue its follow-up ruling this month.
In the meantime, Muki congratulated Mollaei on Instagram for his return to competition in November 2019. Mollaei responded, “This is true friendship and a win for sports and judo over politics.” Mollaei then competed in a tournament in Tel Aviv in February 2021, receiving a warm welcome from Israel’s judo federation, and defeated an Israeli opponent — not Muki — in June 2021. Mollaei even dedicated his July 2021 Olympics silver medal to Israel, offering a “Thank You” in Hebrew.
Mollaei’s long-anticipated bout with Muki finally occurred this past week. The result, a Mollaei victory, was not as important as the process. After pinning his opponent, Mollaei helped Muki to his feet. The two shook hands, embraced and smiled. An Iranian and an Israeli athlete at the pinnacle of their sport demonstrated how things should be.
The year ahead will be a major test for anti-discrimination and Israel’s inclusion in the sporting world. Qatar has already agreed to allow Israelis to attend the World Cup this November. And Israel qualified for the under-20 World Cup hosted in Indonesia next May through June. The Muslim-majority Pacific nation, which has no formal ties with Israel, will allow Israel to participate unhindered.
However, if the Court of Arbitration for Sport annuls the IJF’s four-year ban of Iran, it will provide cover for a return to greater discrimination. As the journey of Saeid Mollaei shows, Iranian judokas should be throwing opponents, not matches.
May is a senior research analyst at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies. Follow him on Twitter @DavidSamuelMay. FDD is a Washington, DC-based, non-partisan research institute focusing on national security and foreign policy.