At the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo, Mollaei lost in the semi-finals under pressure from his country’s federation to avoid playing Israel’s Sagi Muki in the fight for gold. There were threats against him and his family.
Four-year ban by the world association
After the World Cup, Mollaei initially went to Germany. The world judo association IJF suspended the Iranian federation for four years for violating the code of ethics and the Olympic charter. This suspension expires on September 17, 2023. Mollaei, who was a folk hero in Iran, then competed as an Iranian citizen for Mongolia at the 2021 Tokyo Olympics, winning the silver medal. He now fights under the flag of Azerbaijan.
Mollaei defeated Sagi Muki in the third round in Budapest, after the decision the two fighters embraced. Muki celebrated the fight on Instagram as a “victory of sport over politics” and praised the “possibility of sport and friendship that can bridge all bridges”. Mollaei answered him: “Thank you, brother.”
haz/ack (sid, afp)
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