Iranian judo champion defects after being ordered not to fight an Israeli

Saeid Mollaei...refused to lay down. Photo / Getty Images

The Iranian judo star who was ordered not to fight an Israeli has defected to Germany.

Saeid Mollaei, aged 27, was afraid to return to Iran following the world championships in Japan.

The defending champion had defied an order from Iranian sports authorities to drop out of the under-81kg competition.

The Iranian National Olympic Committee had initially promised to respect the non-discrimination rules but Mollaei was told to pull out because he could face Sagi Muki from Israel in the final.

Iran's deputy sports minister Davar Zani made the order directly, by phone, to Mollaei's coach.

The Times reported that an Iranian diplomat even impersonated a coach to enter the players' enclosure and threaten Mollaei personally.

The president of the INOC Reza Salehi Amiri also made a video call to the wrestler, saying that security agents were visiting his parents.

"Friends said that visitors to the family residence had urged his father to get the fight halted so they would not face "problems", the Times reported.

Mollaei was quoted in an international judo release saying: "I am a fighter. I want to compete where ever I can. I live in a country whose laws do not permit me to.

"Even if the authorities of my country told me that I can go back without any problems, I am afraid…of what might happen to my family and to myself."

A distressed Mollaei lost his semifinal, with Muki winning the title.

The two countries have become bitter enemies and Iran has a strict policy of banning competition against Israel. Two years ago a teenage chess player Borna Derakhshani was thrown out of the Iran team for playing an Israeli.

Mollaei has not applied for asylum but hopes his long-term visa will allow him to stay in Germany, and compete under an Olympic flag.

The world championships are the Olympic qualifier and the IJF is hoping to find a way that Mollaei can compete in Japan next year.