Iran, Israel & Olympics

Gary Fitleberg

You can take the Olympics out of politics but can you take politics of the Olympics?

One day before the Olympics begin in Athens, Greece, an Iranian world judo champion, Arash Miresmaeili, forfeited his match against an Israeli and pulled out of the 2004 Athens Olympics Games, claiming the Iranian government forced him to abandon his Olympic hopes for political reasons, the Israeli daily Yedioth Ahronoth reported.

Miresmaeili first said he took his stance to protest Israeli
treatment of Arab "Palestinians" drawing praise from Iranian President Mohammed Khatami

After being selected to fight Israeli champion Udi Vaks, the Iranian judo champion, Arash Miresmaili, sadly held his head in his hands and muttered in broken English, "it's not up to me." In Tehran, Miresmaili is called the "gold hope" and appeared on the covers of all the important papers as the best chance for an Iranian gold medal. Members of his delegation told the newspaper, "he will not compete against Israelis. We have our orders."

Miresmaeili, who carried Iran's flag during Friday's opening ceremony, finished fifth in Sydney and having won world titles in 2001 and 2003 was carrying his country's hopes of Olympic gold in Athens.

But following the draw at the Ano Liossia hall, Miresmaeili was paired with Udi Vaks in the first round of the men's under 66kg category. Since its 1979 Islamic revolution, Iran has refused to recognize the State of Israel's right to exist.

Hirofumi Otsuji, secretary to the Asian Judo Union president, confirmed that Miresmaeili would be withdrawn from the competition. Under International Judo Federation regulations, he could also be sent home.

Iranian team officials said that Miresmaeili explained he had withdrawn out of sympathy with the Arab “Palestinian” cause.

An Olympic ban of Iran is the only answer.

Jewish groups called on the International Olympic Committee to impose penalties after an Iranian athlete refused to compete against an Israeli.

The Simon Wiesenthal Center and the Anti-Defamation League called for action after Iranian judokan Arash Miresmaeili refused to fight Israel’s Ehud Vaks on Aug. 13.
Miresmaeili said he took his stance to protest Israeli treatment of the Arab “Palestinians” drawing praise from Iranian President Mohammed Khatami.

The ADL said the entire Iranian Olympic team should be banned, while the Wiesenthal Center said that “all those who supported and took part in the decision” should be penalized. Iran refuses to recognize the Jewish state.

The world judo’s governing body declined to penalize Miresmaeili.

Despite earlier statements by Iranian officials that Arash Miresmaeili would not fight Udi Vaks on Aug. 15 because of Iran’s political boycott of Israel, the International Judo Federation accepted the argument that Miresmaeili didn’t fight simply because he didn’t make weight.

World opinion can clearly weigh in on that international political propaganda.

“As the IJF has no rule for penalizing overweight athletes, the IJF executive committee decided not to take any sanction against Arash Miresmaeili,” the federation said in a statement. Miresmaeili weighed in for the bout more than 11 pounds over the 145-pound limit, an extraordinary margin for a double world champion. Iranian officials then suggested giving Miresmaeili a $150,000 prize for his political stance.

In Washington, Senate minority leader Tom Daschle (D-S.D.) and minority whip Harry Reid (D-Nev.) on Wednesday urged the International Olympic Committee to pressure Iranian officials to rebuke Miresmaeili. If they won’t, the IOC should strip the Iranian delegation of its credentials, the legislators said.

Israel may have the final world and last laugh on this Iranian political ploy regardless of any official outcome.

Arik Ze’evi won a bronze medal in judo, Israel’s first medal at the 2004 Olympic Games.
Ze’evi defeated his Dutch opponent, Elco Van Der Geest, on to earn a bronze in the men’s 100-kg judo competition. Ze’evi’s medal is Israel’s fifth in Olympic history.

Ze’evi already has his sights on the 2008 games in Beijing.

"I have never been so happy," the arriving Ze'evi said of his feelings on winning the bronze in the under 100-kg category in a grueling day of combat.

"Never have I been freed from this feeling of such a feeling of responsibility, of burden. I truly felt in the clouds."

He said the medal would allow him to be more relaxed as he trained for the 2008 Olympics in Beijing.

Ze'evi, who missed winning a medal in the 2000 Sydney Olympics, said that no matter how many victories and world championships he won, "without an Olympic medal in my pocket, everyone would say, 'He's great, but ...'

"The moment I have this medal, I believe I'll arrive at the next Olympics much looser, and when I am looser, I work much better, and it's tough to beat me," Ze'evi said. "At this competition, I wasn't loose. Mentally, it's much easier to come and take a medal once you've already done it."

On Thursday, Ze'evi defeated Elco Van Der Geest of the Netherlands by ippon to earn his place on the medal podium.

After his victory, Ze'evi credited the win to the support he received from the demonstrative Israelis who came to cheer him.

"I won the medal only due to the crowd's support, because I wasn't in good form," he said at the time, saying that one mental error had kept him from the finals, where he might have taken a gold. "I was tired and slow, but I wanted to win for all the people who came."

In the end Israel exhibited the spirit of the summer Olympic games, and although it didn’t come home with a gold medal, it came home with glory and honor which Iran certainly did not.

Iran should not be allowed to participate in the Olympic games if the IOC reads and follows its own mission statement in its charter. Iran’s athletes, coaches and team of terror should be eliminated permanently from participating and sent home with its bags packing. Iran can not hold the Olympics hostage.

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Gary Fitleberg is a Political Analyst specializing in International Relations with emphasis on Middle East affairs. His articles have appeared internationally in numerous publications including La Prensa (Managua, Nicaragua equivalent to the L.A. Times), Pakistan Today, The Kashmir Telegraph, The Iranian and many more.

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