Iran Weightlifting Federation has banned record-breaking Mostafa Rajei from competing in the country after he shook hands with Israeli competitor Maksim Svirsky at the World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Poland.
Representing his home country of Iran, Rajei finished second overall in the “men’s over-35 age group in the 240 lb division at the championships, even breaking the world record for the clean and jerk with a lift of 430 lbs,” according to the New York Post. Rajei even broke a record that had been previously set by Hungary’s Ferenc Gyurkovics in 2014 at 428 lbs.
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“I could not work well because of the pain in my elbow,” Rajei wrote on Instagram. “But in the two beats of God and gratitude, I became the first and moved the world record by one kilogram [2 lbs]. I came in second overall. Thanks to all dears who helped me in this way.”
The Iran Weightlifting Federation banned Rajaei for life after a photo surfaced of him shaking hands with Israel’s Maksim Svirsky, who placed third. Iran does not recognize Israel as a country and has banned all its athletes from having contact with Israeli athletes.
“The weightlifting federation bans athlete Mostafa Rajaei for life from entering all sports facilities in the country and dismisses the head of the delegation for the competition, Hamid Salehinia,” the organization said.
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In 2021, Iran’s supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, advised athletes “not to shake hands with a representative of the (Israeli) criminal regime to obtain a medal.”
“Young chess prodigy Alireza Firouzja left Iran after the sport’s federation banned him from playing in the 2019 world championship for fear he would face an Israeli player. He is now a naturalized French citizen,” the New York Post noted.
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