Accordingly, Rajaei’s action was against the country’s stringent regulations. Iran has lately demanded that Israel not be allowed to participate in the Paris Olympics.
“Iran denounces the reception and protection of Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris, demanding their exclusion over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza,” said a tweet last week from Iran’s foreign ministry.
Several Iranian athletes have deserted to play for other nations to escape what happened to Rajaee as tensions between Iran and Israel are not going away any time soon.
One of them is the chess prodigy Alireza Firouzja, who currently competes for France due to Iran’s prohibition on his attending the 2019 world championships on the grounds that he could meet an Israeli opponent.
