Iranian taekwondo athlete a no-show in fight against Israeli, handing opponent victory by default

Amy Spiro is a reporter and writer with The Times of Israel

Israeli taekwondo athlete Adnan Milad competes at the 2024 Paris Paralympics on August 30, 2024. (Keren Isaacson)
Israeli taekwondo athlete Adnan Milad competes at the 2024 Paris Paralympics on August 30, 2024. (Keren Isaacson)

An Iranian athlete refuses to compete against Israeli taekwondo fighter Adnan Milad in a repechage round at the 2024 Paris Paralympics, handing Israel a win by default.

Saeid Sadeghianpour does not show up to face Milad in the men’s under-63kg weight class, and therefore the Arab-Israeli athlete automatically advances to the bronze medal match later tonight.

Iran forbids its athletes from competing against Israelis in international competitions.

Earlier, a Tunisian boccia player pulled out of contention to avoid facing Israel’s Nadav Levi.

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