Iranian Weightlifter Banned From Sport For Life After Shaking Hands With Israeli Competitor

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Iranian weightlifter Mostafa Rajaei was recently pictured shaking hands with Israeli competitor Maksim Svirsky at the World Masters Weightlifting Championships in Poland. As a result, he's been banned from the sport for life.

Iran does not recognize Israel and prohibits all contact between athletes from each country.

According to a statement from the Iran Weightlifting Federation reported from the state news agency IRNA, Rajaei “crossed the red lines of the Islamic Republic” at the World Masters.

Rajei wasn't the only one to receive serious punishment. The head of the Iranian team, Hamid Salehinia, was fired and the committee formed to represent veteran weightlifters has been dissolved as a whole, according to the NY Post.

Rajaei finished second overall in the over-35 age group in the 240 lb division and even broke the world record for the clean and jerk with a lift of 430 lbs.

While celebrating his result on the podium, Rajaei shook hands and took a photo with Svirsky.

Rajaei is a former member of the Iranian national team and represented his country at the Asian Weightlifting Championships in 2015.

As the Post notes, Iranian athletes have managed to avoid meeting Israelis in competitions over the years by getting disqualified or providing medical certificates.

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Mark covers all sports at OutKick while keeping a close eye on the world of professional golf. He graduated from the University of Tennessee-Chattanooga before earning his master's degree in journalism from the University of Tennessee. He somehow survived living in Knoxville despite ‘Rocky Top’ being his least favorite song ever written. Before joining OutKick, he wrote for various outlets including SB Nation, The Spun, and BroBible. Mark was also a writer for the Chicago Cubs Double-A affiliate in 2016 when the team won the World Series. He's still waiting for his championship ring to arrive. Follow him on Twitter @itismarkharris.