Iran appeals ban from judo for avoiding Israeli opponents

LAUSANNE, Switzerland (AP) — The Iran judo federation’s appeal against a four-year ban from international events for refusing to let its athletes face opponents from Israel has been heard. The Court of Arbitration for Sport says the Iranian appeal against an International Judo Federation ruling was held by video link. A verdict should take at least several weeks. The IJF acted against Iran after former world champion Saeid Mollaei left the team in 2019. He claimed he was ordered to lose matches at the 2019 world championships to avoid facing Israelis. Mollaei won a silver medal at the Tokyo Olympics while competing for Mongolia.