Iran bans weightlifter for shaking hands, taking photo with Israeli competitor

An Iranian weightlifter has been banned for life from the sport for his interactions with a competitor from Israel following a competition last weekend in Poland.

Mostafa Rajai finished second in his division at the 2023 World Master Weightlifting Championships on Saturday and after the medal presentation ceremony shook hands with third-place finisher Maksim Svirsky of Israel. The two also took a photo together.

The Iran Weighlifting Federation called Rajai's actions "unforgivable" in its announcement that he has been banned from "all sports facilities" for the rest of his life, Al Jazeera reports.

The head of the weightlifting team, Hamid Salehinia, has also been relieved of his duties.

Iran does not recognize Israel as a country and forbids its athletes to have any contact with their Israeli competitors.

As a result, Iranian athletes often withdraw from competitions or fake injuries to avoid interacting with athletes from Israel.