Yet the more you read, the more you see that Iran is the one on the defensive, as more sports federations are penalizing Iran for refusing to compete against Israel and this conference was more about Irans' response to that than to the possibility of Iran influencing other countries against Israel.
The 16th pre-session on studies on the Zionist regime titled “The Use of Sports by the Zionist Regime for Normalization” was held at Tehran International Studies and Research Institute (TISRI).The senior expert of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Mojtaba Amini, noted that topics such as the Zionist regime’s racism can be highlighted by creating an anti-Zionist axis in sports and citing compelling reasons.Head of the Athletes' Basij Organization, Dr. Mir-Jalili, also said that the Zionist regime is seeking normalization by using sports as a tool and the ways in which this could be countered included the setup of workgroups and regular meetings, using the potentials of the Olympic Charter, advertising and public opinion, using the potentials of international organizations such as UNESCO, and creating motivational topics for athletes.He continued by saying that synergy between the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of Sports, and the international branch of Basij was necessary and highlighted the need to build dialogue and award the international medal of resistance to athletes who do not participate in games against the Zionist regime.A faculty member of Allameh Tabataba’i University, Dr. Heybatollah Najandi, also had a speech and said that the abstinence of Iranian athletes from playing with the athletes of the Zionist regime was in fact a protest against the illegitimacy of this regime and the widespread violation of human rights against the oppressed people of Palestine. He said our athletes turning up for games with the Zionist regime only reduced the ugliness of the regime’s illegitimate existence.Also at the pre-session meeting, Hojjat al-Islam Seyed Mohammad-Reza Mir-Tajedini highlighted the need for a multilateral struggle in all sectors against the Zionist regime and stressed that this must be relevant and transparent. He added that sport is not separate from the economy, it also cannot be separate from politics, and the sports sector must be freed from neutrality and move towards areas of value. He finished by emphasizing the need for increased cooperation between the diplomacy apparatus and the Ministry of Sport and considered the legal vacuum in this field a serious shortfall.
I hope that the various sports federations are taking note that Iran has no interest in sportsmanship. This conference proves it.