Another sports hero disappears; Weightlifting Federation: We are consulting to bring back Yekta Jamali
The Iranian Weightlifting Federation confirmed the disappearance of a member of the country's national women's weightlifting team in Athens.
According to reports, Yekta Jamali disappeared from the team's hotel in Athens on Tuesday, May 10, after winning a silver medal in the 87 kg category at the World Youth Women's Weightlifting Championships.
According to IRNA news agency on Wednesday, May 11, Zahra Pouramin, acting vice president of the Women's Weightlifting Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran, confirmed the disappearance of Yekta Jamali in Greece and said: "I don't know what happened, but Ali Moradi, the president of the federation, is in Greece to be able to return Yekta Jamali to Iran."
He also stated: "Consultations have been held with Jamali's family so that we can return him to the country."
The World Youth Weightlifting Championships are underway in Greece from May 12th, with the participation of 304 athletes from 61 countries.
The trend of Iranian sports champions leaving the national team camp and declaring their asylum in other countries has intensified in recent years.
Shaghayegh Bapiiri, Iran's female handball goal scorer, is one of these athletes who, after leaving the national team's camp in Spain for the Women's World Handball Championship, told Voice of America that if the Czech team players had not been given 1.5 billion Tomans as bail, none of the team members would have returned to Iran.
Source: Voice of America
