Amid the two countries' shadow war, Iran’s Supreme Leader has once again reaffirmed his ban on competing against Israeli athletes, but offered incentives through compensation to ensure compliance.
In a Tuesday address to the country’s Olympic and Paralympic teams, Khamenei called on officials to compensate athletes who withdraw from matches against Israel, describing it as a "sacrifice" for national and religious ideals.
The directive is nothing new in Iran where athletes face pressure to forfeit matches against Israeli opponents, but with waning compliance, the country's supreme leader reiterated the country's hardline approach.
Some athletes are even going as far as shaking hands with Israeli competitors as cracks begin to show, a gesture that would have been unthinkable under Khamenei’s system.
Last year, Iran’s Weightlifting Federation (IRIWF) imposed a lifetime ban on Mostafa Rajaei after he shook hands with an Israeli athlete at the World Masters Championships in Kraków. Rajaei, who secured second place in his category and stood on the podium draped in the Iranian flag, greeted Israel's Maksim Svirsky, who finished third.
The two were photographed shaking hands and conversing, sparking outrage from the IRIWF and the Iranian government, which prohibits its athletes from engaging directly with Israelis. The IRIWF condemned Rajaei's actions as an "unforgivable" violation.
Iran’s hardline stance against Israel in sports has become a longstanding policy since 1979, with athletes pressured by government-controlled sports federations to either forfeit or intentionally lose matches. Those who comply are often rewarded handsomely. Some reports suggest that athletes who refuse to compete against Israel receive rewards equivalent to gold medalists.
"Our athlete refuses to compete or play against a Zionist opponent, and because of this, they pay a price. We must not neglect the well-being of this athlete," Khamenei said. The Iranian leader also emphasized that it is the government’s duty to address the livelihood and employment needs of the athletes, many of whom are under immense financial strain.
But as the Islamic Republic tries to uphold its anti-Israel stance, more athletes are fleeing the country to seek freedom. Since the 2022 Women, Life, Freedom uprising and the death of Mahsa Amini, the number of defecting athletes has skyrocketed.
The International Olympic Committee’s Refugee Team included 14 Iranian athletes in the 2024 Paris Olympics, athletes who had fled Iran due to political repression and the forced policies within the sports sector.
Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei, left Iran and since competed under Mongolia’s flag, facing off against Israeli opponents regularly in global competitions.
This wave of defections has been fueled not only by the government’s anti-Israel policy but also by the corruption in Iran’s sports federations. Female athletes, in particular, face additional challenges due to the mandatory hijab, which has sparked international criticism.
Khamenei has also praised athletes who dedicate their victories to the Palestinian cause, such as those who have offered their medals to Ismail Haniyeh and taken photos with the Palestinian flag. He described these acts as "a display of spiritual strength and self-confidence of the Iranian nation" against its enemies. According to Khamenei, such gestures “carry a lot of meaning in the world."
In this week's address, Khamenei commended Iranian women athletes for wearing the hijab during international events, seeing this as a sign of their "national, religious, and Islamic identity."
He even went so far as to praise male athletes who refuse to shake hands with women during award ceremonies, calling it "meaningful" and a demonstration of "self-confidence."