The World Jewish Congress says Iran should be barred from taking part in the Olympics and other international sporting events until its athletes stop boycotting their Israeli counterparts.
The congress called the Iranian behavior “unsportsmanlike and smacks of anti-Semitism.”
“Iranian swimmer Mohammed Alirezaei pulled out of a race that included an Israeli at the world swimming championships in Shanghai this week, claiming he was ‘tired and drowsy,’” noted Madeleine Morgenstern on the online newsite The Blaze. “The same swimmer pulled out of a race against an Israeli at the 2008 Olympics, claiming he was ill. Iranian athletes have pulled out of events in similar circumstances in the past.”
In 1964, South Africa was barred from participating in the Olympics because of its refusal to condemn apartheid. The ban lasted until the 1992 games in Barcelona. Afghanistan was prohibited from participating in the 2000 Sydney games due to its discrimination against women under Taliban rule. The ban was lifted in 2002 after the Taliban fell.
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