Iranian judoka Mollaei hopes to compete for Mongolia at Summer Olympics
Saeid Mollaei plans to compete at the Toyko Olympics under the Mongolian flag.
DUESSELDORF, GERMANY (FEBRUARY 24, 2020) (REUTERS - ACCESS ALL) 1.
(SOUNDBITE) (Farsi) IRANIAN JUDOKA, SAEID MOLLAEI, SAYING (ACCORDING TO OFFICIAL ENGLISH TRANSLATION): "First of all I will say that all I am telling you is honest as far as I understand it and I don't need to lie about anything.
This is important to me that you understand this.
I had a lot of difficulties these days and I always tried to be as honest as possible which was not been the case when I was living in Iran.
So when I arrived here, for administrative reasons I asked for political asylum as a refugee in Germany.
This has been done and under the flag of the IJF (International Judo Federation) I was able to compete, including going to Osaka for the Japan competition.
From then on, the IOS, the IOC, the IJF and the Mongolian federation proposed to me to compete under the flag of Mongolia.
Having done that, being under the flag of Mongolia, I was able to keep my scores and my status as champion of judo.
I decided to do this and I hope to go to the Olympics under the flag of Mongolia." STORY: Iranian judoka Saeid Mollaei, who last year was pressured by Iranian authorities to drop out of his quarter-final and semi-final bouts at the worlds in Tokyo to avoid a potential final against Israel's Sagi Muki, hopes to compete at the Summer Olympics under the flag of Mongolia.
Mollaei was speaking to reporters through a translator in Germany where he has been in hiding for months after refusing to return to Iran over fears for his safety, ignoring orders from the country's National Olympic Committee and government.
In September, the International Judo Federation said Mollaei had been repeatedly ordered to withdraw from fights to avoid the chance of bouts with Israelis, both by the country's National Olympic Committee and the government, and that security personnel had been sent to his home in Iran.
Mollaei has since applied for political asylum in Germany, he told reporters.
