Iranian sport categorically censures Israeli strikes
Iranian sport governing bodies, athletes, and coaches unanimously condemned the Israeli aerial aggression on the country.
Israel initiated the airstrikes in the early hours of June 13, damaging the Iranian nuclear and military infrastructure, while killing dozens of civilians and top IRGC commanders.
The National Olympic Committee of Iran said in a report this week that 15 Iranian athletes have been among the civilians who lost their lives by the attacks, calling on the International Olympic Committee to use legal leverages to stop the attacks and suspend Israeli athletes from international sporting events.
“We might have different ideas as members of a family, but the Iranian soil is a red line for all of us,” Iranian international midfielder Saeid Ezzatollahi wrote in an Instagram post on Friday, while his Shabab Al Ahli teammate offered free temporary accommodation for the war-hit civilians in his home town of Gonbad in northern Iran.
The head of the Iranian Volleyball Federation, Milad Taqavi, meanwhile, said an official complaint has been lodged to the international governing body of the sport, the FIVB, after an Israeli flag was displayed among the crowd during Team Melli’s game against the United States at the Volleyball Nations League in Rio de Janeiro last Friday.
Former sports minister Kioumars Hashemi hailed the Iranian sport community for “emerging as a powerful influencer on social media” to condemn the Israeli hostility.
“From Olympic champions to local clubs, Iranian athletes have condemned the crime and expressed their solidarity with the nation by publishing banners, images of the national flag and video messages,” Hashemi wrote on IRNA.
“Each athlete has acted as a living medium that conveyed the Iranian message of resistance to the world. The Ministry of Sports, National Olympic and Paralympic Committees denounced the violation of Iran’s territorial integrity by issuing joint statements.”
The sporting community again proved to be “the eternal guardians of Iran’s honor and glory,” Hashemi wrote.