An Iranian judoka who fled his country after ignoring orders to drop out of a match to avoid facing an Israeli is due to compete on Friday in an international tournament in Tel Aviv.
Saeid Mollaei, a former judo world champion, fled Iran for Germany after saying Iranian authorities had put pressure on him to drop out of the 2019 world championships in Tokyo to avoid a potential final round against Israeli contender Sagi Muki.
Mollaei, who refused to pull out and reached the semi-final in Tokyo, gained refugee status in Germany and later became a citizen of Mongolia, which he is representing at the International Judo Federation's Tel Aviv Grand Slam.