Iranian Athlete Withdraws From Taekwondo Competition in Kenya to Avoid Facing Israeli Opponent
by Shiryn Ghermezian
Iran’s Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei speaking to members of Iran’s 2024 Olympic and Paralympic delegations. Photo: Screenshot
An Iranian taekwondo athlete withdrew from an international championship in Kenya after she was paired with an opponent from Israel in the first round of the competition.
Rozhan Godarzi, who won a bronze medal last month in the women’s under-51 kilogram category at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, pulled out of the World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships taking place this week in Nairobi from Dec. 3-5 to avoid competing against Israeli athlete Yarden Nesher. Godarzi made the decision to withdraw from the competition because her opponent was from “the Zionist regime,” according to Iran’s ISNA new agency.
Iran does not formally recognize the state of Israel and has a longstanding policy of banning athletes from competing against Israeli competitors. The policy was enforced in 1979 and has resulted in athletes forfeiting matches, sometimes following pressure by their coaches, or intentionally losing to avoid competing against an opponent from Israel.
In a speech last year, Iran’s Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei reaffirmed Iran’s policy against facing athletes from Israel and called on sports officials to compensate those who withdraw from matches. He called the decision a “sacrifice” in line with national and religious beliefs.
Iran’s Weightlifting Federation imposed a lifetime ban on an Iranian professional weightlifter in 2023 after he shook shake hands with an Israeli athlete at the World Masters Championships in Poland. The head of Iran’s weightlifting federation described the athlete’s actions as “unacceptable and unforgivable.”
Another Iranian taekwondo athlete competing in the World Taekwondo Under-21 Championships this week might also face an Israeli opponent in the first day of the competition. Amir Mohammad Ashrafi, Iran’s representative in the over-87 kg weight category, will fight a Lebanese opponent in the first round on Wednesday and if he wins, he might face in the second round Israeli athlete Ilya Ruderman.
