Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei on Saturday reiterated that the country's longstanding ban on competing against Israeli athletes stands, saying the Islamic republic will support any Iranian athlete who faces disciplinary action by international bodies for following Tehran's orders.
Follow Israel Hayom on Facebook and Twitter
Iranian athletes consistently refuse to face Israeli opponents in sporting events, whether by forfeiting the match or by simply not participating.
International sporting federations have been showing decreasing tolerance for the Iranians' bad sportsmanship.
"Any Iranian athlete worthy of the name cannot shake hands with a representative of the criminal regime in order to win a medal," Khamenei told a reception for Iran's medallists from the Tokyo 2020 Games, according to French news agency AFP.
"The illegitimate, bloodthirsty Zionist regime tries to win legitimacy by taking part in international sporting events attended by the world arrogance [Washington and the West], and our athletes cannot just stand idly by," he said in comments posted on his official website.
In Tokyo, Iran won seven Olympic medals, three of them gold, as well as 24 Paralympic medals.
Khamenei said he instructed Iran's sports and foreign ministries, as well as the country's judiciary, |to deploy their legal resources to support athletes from this and other Muslim countries, like the Algerian who was recently disciplined".
He was referring to Algerian judoka Fethi Nourine, who withdrew from the Tokyo Games after the draw set him on course for a match against an Israeli opponent, prompting his suspension from international competition.
Subscribe to Israel Hayom's daily newsletter and never miss our top stories!
