According to IRNA, Asghar Azizi The gold medalist of the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics officially said goodbye to the world of championship by publishing a message in cyberspace. Farewell to the historic man of Parakwando while a few days before and after the selection of the head coach and technical staff, Mehdi Pourrehnama He also protested against the decision of Hadi Saei, the president of the federation, and announced that he was not willing to participate in the national team camp under these conditions. The fury of these two historic Iranian Paralympics on the eve of the 2022 Hangzhou Para-Asian Games has consequences that may affect the position of the Iranian convoy in China.
IRNA sports correspondent Asghar Azizi spoke on Wednesday to analyze the decision-maker of the Tokyo Paralympic gold medal. The full text of this interview is read below:
The release of a message in cyberspace saying goodbye to the world of heroism was shocking news for our convoy to Hangzhou. Why will the Tokyo medalists not be part of the national parakwando team anymore?
I have been active in Taekwondo for many years and I have made my country proud in big tournaments. In consultation with the National Paralympic Committee and experts in this field, I was supposed to be in the national team for the Paris Paralympics. I won the Paralympic gold medal for the first time, and this was with the guidance and help of Payam Khanlarkhani and Mehdi Ahmadi. But things happened and changes took place, the result of which was the farewell of me and Mehdi Pourrehnama, the silver medalist of the Tokyo Paralympic Games, from the national team camp. The Taekwondo Federation fired the successful Iranian technical staff in Tokyo without consulting us or even asking for their opinion, and this is very difficult for us.
Iran’s Parakwando team made history by winning a gold and a silver medal in Tokyo, setting a 100 percent medal record, with Asghar Azizi being one of the medalists. How do you evaluate these results?
According to the policy of qualification, two Paralympic taekwondo fighters were sent to Tokyo, and with the efforts of Payam Khanlarkhani and Mehdi Ahmadi, results were recorded that both covered the failure of the Olympic taekwondo fighters and won two medals for Iran for the first time. With the efforts of these professors, I won a gold medal, and my dear friend Mehdi Pourrehnama also won a silver medal. The result was recorded both for the first time and in Iran’s position in the medal standings. We are trying to be able to repeat these honors again in big tournaments. But there are events going on that will prevent us and other elites in this field from being present in the national team. I do not know why the president of the Taekwondo Federation, who is one of the champions in this field, made such decisions. Hadi Saei, who is currently the president of the federation, knows better than anyone that he should consult to determine the technical staff.
Is it true that some people think that winning a Paralympic medal is an easy task?
Friends who sit outside and look at the comfort of these medals have never seen the difficulty of the training and effort we have. I am both a player, a coach and an international referee in this field. I was alone in the army for months away from family and friends, and finally I was able to win this medal with effort. Even the National Paralympic Committee did not give me a chance for a gold medal, but I competed with all my might in the final fight and registered one of our country’s gold medals. It is an honor for me and I will work for Iran as long as I can. Of course, we also need the cooperation and support of the federation in this direction. Cooperation that has changed in the last few days and those who are supposed to be at the head of the technical staff who do not have much expertise in this field. These changes were with the opinion of Hadi Saei, the president of the federation.
What changes?
Friends forgot what we achieved in Tokyo, and these results could not have come about without the sympathy of Professor Khanlarkhani and Ahmadi. While we were in the army, Khanlarkhani was a friend and brother to the athletes and even paid for us out of his own pocket. The result eventually ended in 2 medals. I am very sorry that new conditions have arisen. Morteza Soltani has been selected for the national team. He is a good and moral person, but morality is not always a reason to be technical. Look at Khanlarkhani’s honors to see that expelling him from the national team camp is disrespectful to this great coach. Why did this happen? I do not know, but instead of showing the merit of the coach who set the record for 100% of medals in Tokyo, the federation apologized to him. Hadi Saei has no specialization in parakwando. A poll should be asked of the Paralympic champions, I am a member of the Athletes’ Commission, why should a diligent person prefer personal interests to national interests. His decisions will hit Parakwando hard.
What role did the president of the Iranian Parakwando Association play in these changes?
I do not know why Massoud Lashkari did not intervene in these changes as the president of the association. I must say that he tried to be with us when we were to be sent to Tokyo, but he was opposed to being sent; Maybe he wants revenge for those days. I do not know why heroes are treated like this. In a way, they respectfully left us. Why should this be done? Why should Iranian historians have no place in decisions in Tokyo? I have both a Paralympic gold medal and an international coach. My knowledge is up-to-date and I am a member of the Athletes’ Commission. I was not even asked a simple comment.
Can Asghar Azizi be in charge of the technical staff?
I have no problem with this. I am familiar with the children’s problems and my degree is up to date. I was supposed to say goodbye to the Paralympic gold medal, but I stayed until the Para-Asian Games, thanks to the respect of the people and the request of Mahmoud Khosravi-Ufa, the chairman of the National Paralympic Committee. I wanted to make people proud. We should not sacrifice some personal decisions. Why didn’t Hadi Saei, who is a famous champion himself, ask us for an opinion in choosing a head coach? I am ready to lead the team with the respect of the people and be as proud as Tokyo. The National Paralympic Committee has given the budget to the federation of parachuting, and in the time of Poladgar, this budget was used in the best possible way, but now I must say that the diligent and military decisions of this field will regress.
Did you talk to Massoud Lashgari about this?
No, I did not speak, but I tell him that I am ready to pay him 500 million tomans in cash at this hour so that he no longer has anything to do with parakwando. I and other friends who work in this field are the result of years of planning by the National Paralympic Committee and the Federation. These athletes are national assets and should not be the victims of personal decisions. Hadi Saei should realize that he should not interfere in matters that he does not have expertise.