Preparations for the Tel Aviv Judo Grand Slam next month are in high gear, as this evening (Friday) two Iranian refugees registered for the prestigious competition.
The first is 23-year-old Majid Kaban, who competes in the weight category up to 66 kg, who three years ago left his homeland and now lives and trains in Scotland, and hopes to make it to the Olympic Games in Paris 2024.
The second judoka is the Iranian Mohammad Rashnonzahad (up to 60 kg) who decided to leave his country because he was not allowed to compete against opponents from Israel, just like the case of former world champion Saeed Moulai. Rashnonzahad was one of the pioneers on the issue of Iranian refugees when he immigrated to the Netherlands in 2017 .
Muhammad.
Will arrive in Israel, photo: IJF
If indeed they both arrive in Israel, it will be a direct continuation of the history that Moulay made here in 2021, when he came to compete in the Grand Slam, when a month ago, the judoka who currently represents the Azerbaijan national team, managed to win the silver medal at the Masters held in Jerusalem.
In addition to the Iranians, the refugee team registered for Tel Aviv also includes the Afghan Nigara Shahin (63 kg), who is in the program of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) world refugee team, and previously took part in the Tokyo Games in the individual and team competition and is also marked for Paris.
As of today, in the early registration for the Grand Slam Tel Aviv that will open on February 16, 71 athletes from 14 countries have registered, with the large mass expected to join in the next two weeks.
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