<p>LAUSANNE, Switzerland — Iran was suspended by judo’s world governing body on Thursday as punishment for refusing to let its athletes face opponents from Israel.</p>
<p>The International Judo Federation imposed a four-year ban after the Court of Arbitration for Sport ordered a disciplinary review last month which said a previous indefinite ban was not allowed.</p>
<p>The <a href="https://www.tas-cas.org/fileadmin/user_upload/CAS_award_6500_6580.pdf">CAS judges had been tough on Iranian officials </a> from the national Olympic and judo bodies and government sports ministry, saying the case “clearly reveals an institutionalized scheme” to prevent athletes facing Israelis.</p>
<p>The case began when former world champion Saeid Mollaei left the Iranian team in 2019, claiming he was ordered to lose world championships matches to avoid facing Israelis.</p>
<p>The ban — backdated to start in 2019 and run into September 2023 — is provisional and can be lifted if the Iranian judo federation respects its rules on discrimination and accepts to compete with Israel.</p>
<p>The IJF said Thursday it “continues to defend the fundamental human values and rights of all its members, with a special emphasis on the rights of athletes and reiterates its commitment to fight against any form of discrimination in the sport of judo."</p>
<p>Until the Iranian policy toward Israel changes, its judokas cannot compete at IJF events, including world championships, and officials cannot take part in the world governing body’s work.</p>
<p>The ban does not affect Iranian judokas going to the Tokyo Olympics because that team is sent by the national Olympic body and not the national judo federation.</p>
<p>Iranian officials can again challenge the IJF verdict at CAS.</p>
<p>Mollaei fled to Germany in 2019 and has since switched national eligibility to compete for Mongolia in a move approved by the International Olympic Committee.</p>
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