Saed Mollaei, an Iranian champion who stayed in Germany and refused to go back home after Iran was forcing him to avoid matching with Israeli athlete, has been under huge pressure from Iranian sides, the International Judo Federation (IJf) revealed.
“Mollaei fought for his life, due the pressure from his country’s authorities,” said a report published by International Judo Federation on Sunday.
According to the report, which elaborates of pressures against the Iranian athlete, Iranian officials have been constantly trying to reach out to Mollaei to force him avoid a potential contest between Iran and Israel. They have reportedly sent him messages of “double threat against Mollaei and his family.”
“Mollaei literally collapsed, burst into tears. The emotion was heartbreaking for those backstage who witnessed this,” the report said.
Abdullo Muradov, the assistant of IJF competition manager, who was accompanying Mollaei after his call for help, said: “I spent the day with him [Mollaei] I escorted him everywhere. Helped him with translation. I saw the fear in his eyes, the terror of having to face the consequences of a situation that was beyond his control. He was totally helpless.”
In an exclusive interview with IJF media, Mollaei said: “I could have been World champion. I’ve been training hard, making lots of efforts…I even dreamed of the championship title today. But that was not my fate: I could not compete because of the law in my country, and because I was scared of consequences for my family and myself.”
Dozens of Iranian athletes have been prevented by Islamic Republic regime to match with their Israeli opponents since the Islamic Revolution in 1979.
