Iran official says Iranian athletes won’t compete against Israelis

Iranian athletes will not compete against Israeli athletes in international competition, the head of Iran’s national Olympic committee says. The statement comes ahead of the Judo World Championships in August.

In May, the International Judo Federation said it had reached an agreement with Iran to end its athletes’ boycott of Israelis in competitions. Under the agreement, Iran’s National Olympic Committee said it would “fully respect the Olympic Charter and its non-discrimination principle,” though it did not mention Israel by name. Iranian judokas have forfeited matches against Israelis for decades.

Despite the agreement, Syed Reza Salehi Amiri tells the Fars News Agency that he told International Judo Federation chairman Marius Vizer that his athletes would not compete with Israeli athletes.

— JTA