Weightlifter Banned For Life After Being Caught Shaking Hands With A Competitor

Many people watch sports for the competition, but sometimes real-world issues affect the action.

Mostafa Rajaei is an Iranian weightlifter who competed in the World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Poland last year. 

He finished second in the men's over-35 age group in the 240-pound division at the event.

This was a significant achievement, as the athlete even set a world record for the clean and jerk with a 430-pound lift.

Mostafa.rajaee/Instagram

After the event, Rajaei shared on Instagram that he struggled because of elbow pain but was grateful and managed to lift just enough to break the world record by one kilogram.

Despite his impressive performance, this would be the last time Rajaei competed for Iran.

It's common for competitors to shake hands at the end or beginning of events.

However, this did not sit well with the Iran Weightlifting Federation.

After Rajaei shook hands with Israeli competitor Maksim Svirsky, the federation announced that Rajaei was banned for life from all sports facilities in the country and that Hamid Salehinia, the head of the delegation, was dismissed.

Mostafa.rajaee/Instagram

The federation called the handshake 'unforgivable' and fired Salehinia over the incident. 

They stated that Rajaei, who was sent with the federation’s support, had 'crossed the red lines of the Islamic Republic' with his gesture of sportsmanship.

Why did this happen?

Iran does not recognize Israel as a nation and forbids any contact between Iranian and Israeli athletes.

In 2021, Iran’s supreme leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei instructed competitors not to shake hands with anyone from the "Israeli criminal regime" in order to win medals.

Mostafa.rajaee/Instagram

The restrictions go further, with Iranian athletes often receiving medical certificates to avoid competing against Israelis.

Rajaei's handshake was seen as a violation of these strict rules.

Recently, Iran even called for Israel to be banned from the Paris Olympics.

Iran’s foreign ministry stated on Twitter last week:

"Iran condemns the reception and protection of Israeli athletes at the Olympic Games in Paris, demanding their exclusion over Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza."

Mostafa.rajaee/Instagram

With tensions between Iran and Israel showing no signs of easing, several Iranian athletes have defected to compete for other countries to avoid facing Rajaei's situation.

One example is Alireza Firouzja, a chess prodigy who now represents France after being banned by Iran from competing in the 2019 world championships due to the potential of facing an Israeli opponent.