some people in Iran have noticed.
In recent weeks, two Iranian skiers and two Iranian swimmers have competed against Israelis in international sports events. Nothing has so far happened to any of them. In fact, the government media in Iran has just ignored the issue.
But on Tuesday, the Mehr news agency reported that two Iranian fencers had pulled out of a competition in Baku when they drew Israeli opponents. Their withdrawal came only after the first news story in the Iranian media reporting that Iranian swimmers had competed with Israeli swimmers.
The quiet—if brief—cancellation of the ban probably resulted from quiet threats to expel Iran from international sports events. It is unlikely that the change represented any modification of the Islamic Republic’s hard line on Israel and its opposition to Israel’s very existence as a state.
Under international sporting rules, no country may refuse to compete against the national of any other country for racial, religious, political or other reasons. The Islamic Republic, however, has repeatedly withdrawn its athletes when they have drawn an Israeli opponent.
The complaints about Iran’s bald violation of the rules grew over the years. Iran then started having its athletes call in sick when they drew an Israeli opponent. That was seen by many in international sports as an even more offensive action, an outright lie, since Iranians only seemed to get sick when they faced an Israeli.
There has not, however, been any public ultimatum fired at Iran. But there may have been a private communication since Iran began competing against Israelis only at the start of 2010.
In the February Winter Olympics, held in British Columbia, two Iranian skiers competed against an Israeli in two downhill events. There could have been no lack of knowledge about the Israeli’s presence. One of the Iranians was scheduled immediately behind the Israeli so they stood only a few feet apart at the top of the course.
Then last month, two Iranian swimmers competed against Israelis in the Amsterdam Swim Club competition. In the 100-meter fly preliminary race, Ahmad-Reza Jalali of Iran and Almog Olshtein of Israel were placed in the same heat with a Dutchman between them, so there could be no missing the Israeli presence.
The results may spark some concern about the change in policy. In the Alpine skiing, both Iranians trailed the Israeli skier in both races. In the swim match, both Iranians trailed both Israelis in the 100-meter event, but in the 200-meter event, Jalali came in first in his heat with Israeli Leon Specter coming in second.
The Israel-Iran face offs have largely gone unreported in Iran. The only reference the Iran Times has noticed has been a brief story on the Tabnak news site last week listing the swim race outcomes. That may have alerted anti-Zionists and provoked objections, which may forced the fencers to withdraw this week.
Iranian athletes drew Israeli opponents in both the 2004 and 2008 Olympics, the major cases of Iran bowing out when faced by Israelis but by no means the only times it happened over the years.
At the 2004 Summer Olympics, there was a storm when Arash Mir-Esmaeli, who always ranked high in judo competitions, drew Israeli Ehud Vaks as an opponent and walked out. He didn’t claim sickness—and there were reports he didn’t want to walk out either. Iran’s Olympic staff said he left to show solidarity with the Palestinians. At home, he was treated as if he had won gold.
There was an uproar inside the Olympic movement and Iran was reportedly warned by the Olympic movement. Then, at the 2008 Summer Olympics, Iranian swimmer Mohammad Ali-Rezai was “too ill” to swim when Israeli Tom Beeri was competing. No political reason was stated, but no one at the Olympics was fooled.
Canada was the host of this year’s Winter Olympics and Canada has taken a very tough line on Iran since dual national Zahra Kazemi was beaten to death at Evin Prison in 2003. It is possible that Canada laid down the law to the Olympic movement that it had to enforce its own rules.
The swimming event in the Netherlands was not an Olympic event and the Dutch were unlikely to make a big issue of an Iranian dropping out. But if Iran decided to drop the ban on competing with Israelis for the Olympics, it would make little sense to keep it for lesser events.
