June 17, 2022
The first Iranian female weightlifter who won medals in international tournaments has defected and is seeking asylum in Germany. Yekta Jamali is only 17 years old and rather young to defect; it isn’t clear if German law will recognize her as an asylum seeker. She disappeared from the hotel where the Iranian team was staying in Heraklion on the Greek island of Crete on the final day of the World Junior Weightlifting Championships May 12.
She had just won the silver medal in the snatch and finished fourth overall in her 87- kilogram weight division. On social media, friends of Jamali suggested she had been unhappy with “oppressive treatment” by the weightlifting federation and also irked by her low earnings. About 30 Iranian athletes in recent years have defected from Iranian national teams and sought asylum in other countries, including Judo champion Saeid Mollaei and Greco-Roman national team wrestler Ali Arsalan.
In recent months, a handball player, a rower and two female soccer players have defected, according to IranWire. For men, a major factor has been Iran’s policy of not allowing athletes to compete against Israelis. For women, mandatory hejab and other gender restrictions have been a big issue. Iran is a sworn enemy of Israel, calling for its destruction, and prohibits sportspeople from playing against Israeli competitors.
There is no legislation banning athletes but, under pressure from federation officials, they usually lose games intentionally, forfeit matches or claim injury to avoid facing Israelis. Parsia Jahanfekrian, another Iranian weightlifting champion, recently announced on her social media page that she has also left the national team, but did not make clear if she had left the country.