Disappearance of Another Sports Champion; Weightlifting Federation: We are negotiating to bring back Yekta Jamali
The Iran Weightlifting Federation confirmed the disappearance of one of the members 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, Ordibehesht 20, after winning a silver medal in the snatch in the 87-kilogram category at the World Youth Weightlifting Championships for women.
According to the IRNA news agency on Wednesday, Ordibehesht 21, Zahra Pouramini, head of the women’s vice-presidency of the Iran Weightlifting Federation, while confirming Yekta Jamali’s disappearance in Greece, said: “I don’t know what happened, but Ali Moradi, the federation’s chairman, is in Greece to be able to bring Yekta Jamali back to Iran.”
She also stated: “Negotiations have been held with Jamali’s family so that we can bring her back to the country.”
The World Youth Weightlifting Championships have been ongoing in Greece since Ordibehesht 12 with the participation of 304 athletes from 61 countries.
The trend of Iranian sports champions separating from the national team camp and declaring asylum in other countries has intensified in recent years.
Shaqayegh Baapiri, Iran’s handball golden girl, is one of these athletes who, after leaving the national team camp in Spain at the Women’s World Handball Championship, told Voice of America that if they had not taken a guarantee of 1.5 billion tomans from the Czech team players, none of the team members would have returned to Iran.
Source: Voice of America
