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Iranian champion disqualified for refusing to fight Israeli ATHENS — A two-time world judo champion from Iran who reportedly said he would not compete against an Israeli athlete was disqualified from the Olympics on Sunday. Arash Miresmaeili was ostensibly disqualified for being overweight for the under-66kg class, said the International Judo Federation after launching an urgent inquiry. Miresmaeili, who carried the Iranian flag at Friday's opening ceremony, was considered a favorite to win Iran's first gold medal in judo. 'The IJF (International Judo Federation) is very surprised because such an elite fighter did not make his weight,' the body's media commissioner Michel Brousse said. 'If this situation has arisen from a political decision, the IJF will react to it,' he said, indicating that the Iranians could be penalised after the IJF meeting in Athens. It has never been entirely clear how far Iran bars its athletes from competing against Israelis and how far it is left up to the athletes themselves, albeit under pressure. But a spokeswoman for the Iranian National Olympic Committee in Tehran said on Sunday the judoka had been instructed not to compete. 'This is a general policy of our country to refrain from competing against athletes of the Zionist regime and Arash Miresmaeili has observed this policy,' she said.
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