Iranian Defector Wins Olympic Silver Medal in Judo then Dedicates the medal to Israel
Saeid Mollaei (on left) won the Olympic silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics on Tuesday.
Saeid Mollaei, a former Iranian judo athlete won the Olympic silver medal in the men’s 81-kilogram division today. Following his event he dedicated his medal to Israel.
Mollaei fled Iran in 2019 after refusing to forfeit a match for the regime.
Bravo, bravo, bravo! Saeid Mollaei is an Iranian-born Judoka. He was forced to flee #Iran after refusing to forfeit a match against an #Israel athlete in 2019. Saeid just won a Silver medal in #Tokyo2020 #Olympics, where he was competing for Mongolia in Men's 81kg #judo. pic.twitter.com/7plHoojTTg
— Arsen Ostrovsky (@Ostrov_A) July 27, 2021
Iranian born judoka Saeid Mollaei has won a silver medal in the Tokyo 2020 judo tournament as a representative for the Mongolian team. Congratulations!
He refused to boycott Israel at the Tokyo 2019 World Championships, and as a result could not return to Iran. He is a hero! pic.twitter.com/4uG1SZ2sqH
— Hananya Naftali (@HananyaNaftali) July 27, 2021
Hat Tip Banafsheh
The Times of Israel reported:
Saeid Mollaei, a former Iranian judoka now representing Mongolia, took home the silver medal in the men’s 81-kilogram division, losing the gold to Takanori Nagase of Japan.
It was the first Olympic medal for Mollaei, two years after he left his native Iran, revealing that his national team coaches had ordered him to lose in the semifinals of the 2019 World Championships in Tokyo to avoid facing Israel’s Sagi Muki in the final. Mollaei subsequently moved to Germany and then acquired Mongolian citizenship.
Mollaei told the Israeli Sports Channel that he was thankful for the support he’s received from Israel over the years.
“Thank you to Israel for the good energy. This medal is dedicated also to Israel,” he told the network. “I hope the Israelis are happy with this win.”
He added in Hebrew: “Todah” (thank you).
Here is Saeid Mollaei’s moving story of defection from the brutal and anti-Semitic Iranian regime.
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