http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/14/sports/olympics/14notebook.html...

http://www.nytimes.com/2004/08/14/sports/olympics/14notebook.html

Iranian Judo Champion Refuses to Face Israeli

Published: August 14, 2004


Arash Miresmaeili, the Iranian world judo champion who carried his country's flag in the opening ceremony of the Olympic Games last night, has pulled out of the tournament rather than fight an Israeli.

The 23-year-old Miresmaeili, twice a winner of the flyweight world title, was matched against Ehud Vaks of Israel in the first round. "Although I have trained for months and was in good shape, I refused to fight my Israeli opponent to sympathize with the suffering of the people of Palestine and I do not feel upset at all," Miresmaeili told the news agency IRNA.

Nothing here about not makng the weight........Snooker)
The student news agency ISNA quoted Iran's sports officials as saying Miresmaeili still deserved the $115,000 prize the Iranian Olympic medal winners were promised by the Physical Education organization.

"Miresmaeili must receive a special prize as he was the prime candidate for a gold medal and I will do my best about it," said Muhammad Derakhshan, the head of the judo federation. Yeah, right...the guy deserves the money because he "would have won if he had taken part.........lol lol.....Jeez, looks like the bit they cut off gets transplanted into their brains, and grows and grows and grows......Snooker)

It is not the first time Iranians have declined to compete against Israeli opponents. I guess all of them must be "overweight" whenever they are drawn against an Israeli......Snooker)At the 2001 world judo championships, Mahed Malekmohammdi refused to face Yoel Razvozov and the Asian champion Masoud Haji Akhoundzade pulled out of a bout with the Israeli lightweight Zvi Shafran.

Refusals to play Israeli athletes are not new.

At the 2003 world table tennis championships in Paris, Israel lodged an official protest after Yemeni and Saudi players refused to play against one of its team members.

Hani al-Hammadi of Yemen was to face Israel's Gay Elensky but turned and left when he saw his opponent was Israeli. A day later, Elensky was to play Nabeel al-Magahwi of Saudi Arabia, but Magahwi refused to come to the table.

Magahwi was barred for a year for his action, but became a hero in his homeland.

However, anti-Israel sentiment worked against Libya's plans to stage the 2010 World Cup when, as part of its bid submission to FIFA, Libya said that every nation was welcome except Israel. (Agence-France Presse)