The Iranian swimmer who withdrew from a heat featuring an Israeli at the world championships maintains the move was not political.Is it merely a coincidence that Alirezaei always feels ill before competing against Israelis?
"My flight was exactly the day before my race, so I was so tired and drowsy. Because I had to wait for my visa," Mohammed Alirezaei told The Associated Press two days after not starting a 100-meter breaststroke heat including Gal Nevo of Israel.
Speaking after completing his 50 breaststroke heat Tuesday, Alirezaei added that he had "no problem" competing against Israeli athletes, saying he did so at junior worlds.
However, Alirezaei also pulled out of an event against another Israeli, Tom Beeri, in the 100 breaststroke at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The International Olympic Committee accepted the explanation then that he was ill.
Alirezaei said the fact that both withdrawals came against Israelis was merely a coincidence.
Asked about the latest withdrawal, IOC president Jacques Rogge told the AP on Monday: "I'm sure knowing the rules of FINA, the athletes will have to explain why and that most likely the athletes will have to come up with very good reasons."
Or is this proof that time itself is an construct, and Israeli athletes can retroactively make him sick by planning to be in the room with him the next day?
Or perhaps the Mossad, fearful of losing face against the superior Iranian athletes, work overtime to shoot their patented Joo-Rays to their enemies ahead of time?
All of these are plausible, especially to the rules committee members. What certainly cannot be true is that Alirezaei withdrew for political reasons.
As was reported in the Iranian media:
A member of the Iranian swimming team at the Shanghai FINA World Championships refused to contest a heat because of the presence of an Israeli athlete.Nah, that's just posturing. He really, really was sick.
Mohammed Alirezaei refused to compete in the 100-meter breaststroke race at the world swimming contest. Gal Nevo of Israel had been due to swim in the same race.
Alirezaei had also pulled out of an event against another Israeli, Tom Beeri, in the 100-meter breaststroke race at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Iranian athletes have on various occasions shown strong support for the oppressed Palestinians nation by withdrawing from matches and games where Israeli sportspeople are present as well.
Chairman of Iran's National Olympic Committee Mohammad Ali Abadi said in an interview last year that Iranian sports organizations follow the government's policy towards the 'Zionist regime (Israel) and boycott all competitions in which Israeli athletes are present.