Following the recent victories of Iranian athletes in international competitions, the medal winners from among the Islamic Republic of Iran's participants at the 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic Games met with Ayatollah Khamenei on Saturday. The meeting was held in accordance with health protocols in the Imam Khomeini Hussainiyyah.
"The most important message of the championship of the athletes of the country in the international arenas is the possibility of accomplishing unimaginable deeds and conveying the message of endurance and hope and vitality to society and the youth," said Ayatollah Khamenei in his meeting with Iranian athletes.
Referring to the championship of Iranian athletes despite some restrictions, the Leader said, "These championships show your strong will and determination. This determination exists not only in sports but also in the fields of science, technology, art and literature, and one of the important tasks of officials is to honestly show these honors."
"Iranian women athletes in these competitions proved that the Islamic hijab does not prevent them to be successful in the field of sports, as they have also proved in the fields of politics, science and management," he said.
Ayatollah Khamenei considered the issue of non-recognition of the criminal Zionist regime in sports fields a very important issue, saying, "The illegitimate Zionist regime is trying to gain legitimacy by participating in international sports arenas, and the arrogant world is also helping it in this regard, but respected sports officials and athletes should not be passive in this area at all."
Referring to the reciprocal actions of the Zionist regime and its supporters to deprive the athletes of the competitions, the Leader said, "The Ministry of Sports and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the legal systems should pursue this issue through legal means and support the athletes of the country and even the Muslim athletes of other countries, such as the Algerian athlete who was recently banned."
The Iranian sixty-two member Paralympics team ended its work in Tokyo 2020 with 12 gold, 11 silver, and one bronze medal, ranking the 12th in the world.
With seven medals (3 gold, 2 silver, and 2 bronze medals), Iran's Olympics team became 27th in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.
MNA/5307314