A quick lesson on Judo:
With its strict moral and ethical principles, and its humanitarian approach to life, Judo fosters a sense of respect and consideration. Participants are taught to strive for physical, intellectual and moral perfection, so they can not only improve their own life, but also contribute to the greater good.
Looks like the Iranians have forgotten these fundamentals yet again.
Iranian judoka Wahid Sarlak lost his match against a competitor from Azerbaijan on purpose Sunday in order to avoid a showdown with Israeli judoka Gal Yekutiel at the world judo championships in Cairo.After the match, a sobbing Sarlak revealed that heads of the Judo federation in Teheran had instructed him to lose the match.
I say “again” because they have pulled this sh*t before, during the Olympic Games of all things. I have to echo what columnist Michael Farber wrote after the Olympic scandal.
If Iran won’t face Israel, banning one judoka is not enough. The position of an NOC, on behalf of its government, should make Iran a pariah in the Olympic family. The rules of sport were mocked, the spirit of the Olympic movement trashed.
