Saeid Mollaei should have been focusing on the defense of his World Judo Championship title. Instead, the Iranian judoka was fretting about his safety and his family’s safety.While competing in Tokyo, Mollaei claims his coach received two calls from the Iranian authorities instructing him to withdraw his fighter from the tournament to avoid the possibility of meeting Israeli judoka Sagi Muki in the final.The 27-year-old Mollaei ignored the warnings, but despite losing in the last four he fears repercussions back home in Iran. For years, Iranian athletes have been prohibited from competing against Israelis.
