Gold Medal of Iranian Athlete Awarded to Next Competitor After Holding Up “Ya Umm al-Banin” Flag
In a surprising turn of events, the gold medal of Iranian athlete Sadegh Beit Sayah was awarded to the next competitor after he displayed a flag featuring the phrase “Ya Umm al-Banin.” This incident occurred during the F11 javelin throw competition at the Paris Paralympic Games.
Beit Sayah achieved a remarkable throw of 47.64 meters, breaking the Paralympic record and securing the gold medal. However, after this success, he raised a flag inscribed with “Ya Umm al-Banin,” which led to claims of violating Paralympic regulations. Consequently, Beit Sayah was disqualified, and his medal was revoked.
The disqualification sparked protests from the Iranian delegation, with officials from the Iranian para-athletics team lodging a formal complaint to the organizing committee of the games. However, their appeal was rejected, and the gold medal was subsequently awarded to a representative from India.
It is noteworthy that the Iranian sports authorities have submitted another appeal regarding this matter, and a further meeting is scheduled to discuss the issue.