Call for a united sports front to suspend Israel’s participation in global athletics
Tehran - BORNA - According to the Ministry’s Public Relations Office, Donyamali called on his counterparts in Islamic countries to establish a “Unified Islamic Sports Front” aimed at pressing the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to suspend the sporting representation of the Israeli regime.
The full text of the letter is as follows:
As you are aware, the Olympic Charter upholds fundamental principles, including human dignity, equality, non-discrimination, and the promotion of peace and friendship among nations, which serve as the foundation for sporting activities worldwide. Sport has long been the common language through which nations build understanding and foster unity. Any violation of these principles represents a serious threat to the core mission of both sport and the Olympic movement.
Since its establishment in 1948, the Israeli regime has acted to ethnically cleanse and annihilate the Palestinian nation, and the commission of crimes against humanity, war crimes, and genocide by this regime has been a proven fact.
UN human rights rapporteurs have repeatedly described the regime as an apartheid and racist regime, and recently the UN Human Rights Council's Independent Commission of Inquiry has stated that the Israeli regime has committed genocide. Furthermore, the leaders of the regime are wanted by the International Criminal Court on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity.
Thus, the Zionist regime has seriously and inevitably undermined the Olympic Charter and the true spirit of sport in occupied Palestine over the past eight decades, and particularly since October 2024. In this context, the International Convention against Apartheid in Sport (adopted by the UN in 1985) clearly affirms that sport should not serve as a platform for legitimizing regimes founded on discrimination and oppression.
The International Court of Justice has declared in its numerous rulings and opinions that the actions of the Israeli regime, including the occupation of Palestinian lands and the construction of settlements, are in violation of fundamental principles of international law, and the continued involvement of this regime in the world of sports not only disregards these legal provisions, but also undermines the values of sports justice and humanitarian principles. In light of this, it is crucial that the member states of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation adopt a unified and coordinated approach to address this issue and pursue the following measures:
Establishment of a "United Sports Front of Islamic Countries" to effectively raise the issue with the International Olympic Committee and world federations.
Formally demanding the suspension and expulsion of Israel from international sporting competitions, in a manner similar to the actions taken in the past against the apartheid regime in South Africa.
Leveraging the frameworks of sports law in conjunction with international law, including invoking the Convention against Apartheid in Sport, the Olympic Charter, and the rulings of the International Court of Justice, to reinforce the legitimacy of this request.
Encouraging other countries, as well as regional and international organizations, to support this just cause in order to uphold human dignity and the universal principles of sport.
It is hoped that through unity and solidarity, Islamic countries can harness the power of sports as a common language of nations to achieve justice, confront discrimination, and support the Palestinian people.
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