UPDATE 3-Judoka who fled Iran over Israeli matchup wins silver in Tel Aviv Grand Slam Reuters 2/19/2021
By Rami Ayyub
TEL AVIV, Feb 19 (Reuters) - An Iranian judoka who fled his country after ignoring orders to drop out of a match in 2019 to avoid facing an Israeli won a silver medal on Friday at an international tournament in Israel.
Saeid Mollaei, a 2018 judo world champion, fled Iran for Germany after saying Iranian authorities had put pressure on him to drop out of the 2019 world championships in Tokyo to avoid a potential final round against Israeli contender Sagi Muki.
Mollaei, who refused to pull out and reached the semi-final in Tokyo, gained refugee status in Germany and later became a citizen of Mongolia, which he represented at the International Judo Federation s Tel Aviv Grand Slam.
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TEL AVIV An Iranian judoka who fled his country after ignoring orders to drop out of a match in 2019 to avoid facing an Israeli won a silver medal on Friday at an international tournament in Israel.
Saeid Mollaei, a 2018 judo world champion, fled Iran for Germany after saying Iranian authorities had put pressure on him to drop out of the 2019 world championships in Tokyo to avoid a potential final round against Israeli contender Sagi Muki.
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