Almost half of the athletes chosen for the 2024 Refugee Olympic Team can be from Iran, as introduced by the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) throughout the announcement of the athlete lineup for the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Of the 36 gamers from 11 chosen international locations, 14 (nearly 40%) are Iranian.
The staff’s vital presence of Iranian refugees comes as anti-regime protests and rising financial and political pressures have spurred a surge in migration of athletes, artists and expert staff from Iran in recent times. This is in response to the truth that
The 14 Iranian athletes, consisting of 10 males and 4 girls, embody boxer Omid Ahmadisafa (Germany), swimmer Martin Barsini (Great Britain), and judo athlete Mahboubeh Barbari Jafi (Germany). They have discovered new bases throughout Europe, together with some high-profile gamers.
The mass defection comes after not less than 30 Iranian athletes have sought asylum in recent times, not solely to flee political repression inside Iran, but in addition to flee particular challenges within the subject of sports activities. be.
Issues cited by athletes embody corruption inside sports activities federations, coercive insurance policies that prohibit them from competing with Israeli athletes, and, for girls, the requirement to put on a hijab whereas competing.
The Islamic Republic’s coverage of banning Olympic athletes from competing towards Israelis stems from longstanding hostility in the direction of the nation since 1979.
Athletes confronted stress from government-controlled sports activities federation officers to deliberately lose matches, be disqualified, or cite accidents to keep away from matches towards Israeli opponents. is widespread.