President: Iran Olympic Athletes Should Spread Message of Peace

All Iranian athletes in global events, particularly in the Olympic and Paralympic Games, should try to send the message of morality, peace and friendship to the international community and the message of hope, solidarity and exhilaration to the Iranian nation, the president said on Wednesday, at a meeting with Iran’s Olympic squad, held in Tehran.

The athletic activities have now turned into a criterion for a nation’s power and dynamism in the international arenas, he added, saying the Iranian athletes are expected to do their utmost in the upcoming event and bring more glories to the country.

The president also hailed a unique feature of Iran in sports events, namely the participation of female athletes in games while observing the Islamic code of dressing and wearing hijab.

All female athletes representing the Islamic Republic attend sports events with hijab. Moreover, Iranian medal-winners refuse to shake hands with the opposite sex, a move prohibited under Islamic teachings.

Back in January, Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei admired Iranian athletes who safeguard religious and moral values in sports events, irrespective of the delusive wave that may prevail in the international arenas.

Iranian athletes who explicitly safeguard the values in the championship games do a valued deed, Ayatollah Khamenei said, pointing to competitors who ask for help from God or prostrate themselves after winning a match.

What is even worthier than standing on the championship stage or raising of the country’s flag is an Iranian athlete’s refusal to wrestle with a Zionist Israeli opponent or a female athlete’s decision to attend the medal award ceremony with hijab, Imam Khamenei underlined.