Mohammad Rashnonezhad (born 3 April 1996) is an Iranian judoka who competes in the IOC Refugee team. He won a silver medal at the 2017 Asian Judo Championships in the –60 kg category.[1]
| Personal information | |||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Born | 3 April 1996 | ||||||||||||||
| Occupation | Judoka | ||||||||||||||
| Sport | |||||||||||||||
| Sport | Judo | ||||||||||||||
| Weight class | –60 kg | ||||||||||||||
Medal record
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Early life
editHe began judo at the age of 8 years-old. By 13 ywsrs-old, he had been invited to train with Iran's national team. He fled Iran to seek refuge in the Netherlands in 2017 after officials of the Iranian Judo Federation pressured him to avoid competing against Israelis.[2][3]
Career
editHe won the Junior Asian Championships in 2016.[4][5] He finished in second place at the 2017 Asian Judo Championships in 2017.[6]
In 2019, finished in fifth place at the Hohhot Grand Prix and won bronze at the Belgian Open Visé. Once based in the Netherlands he began to be coached by Vahid Sarlak and trained at the Olympic Training Center in Papendal.[5]
He won a bronze medal at the European Cup in Malaga in 2019 to become the first member of the IJF refugee team to win a podium spot at an international event.[4] He competed as part of the refugee team at the Tel Aviv Grand Prix in January 2020, posting on social media that his attendance proved "sports and politics are separate".[7][8]
He competed as part of the IJF Refugee team at the European Judo Championships in Marseille in 2023.[9] In 2023, he was awarded a scholarship by The Olympic Refuge Foundation (ORF).[10]
In May 2024, he was confirmed on the IOC Refugee Team for the 2024 Paris Olympics.[11]
Personal life
editThey were one of four featured refugee athletes on a promotional video entitled Watch Where We're Going made by Nike in collaboration with the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and advertising agency Wieden+Kennedy Amsterdam designed to highlight the experiences of discrimination and prejudice faced by refugees.[12]
References
edit- ^ "Mohammad Rashnonezhad". Judo Inside. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Mohammad RASHNONEZHAD". Olympics.com. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Younesipour, Payam (13 January 2020). "Faced with Repression at Home, Iranian Athletes Choose to Migrate". Iran Wire. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ a b Messner, Nicolas (19 June 2020). "Mohammad Rashnonezhad Hopes for the Best". ijf.org. Retrieved 16 April 2024.
- ^ a b "Mohammad Rashnonezhad". bestenieuwkomee.nl. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Iranian Judoka in final at 2017 Asian Championship". mehrnews.com. 26 May 2017. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Katzir, Itamar (30 November 2019). "Iranian Judoka to Compete in Tel Aviv as Part of Refugee Team". Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Izso, Lauren (15 January 2020). "Iranian, Syrian Refugees Set to Compete in Tel Aviv Judo Competition". algemeiner. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "IJF REFUGEE TEAM: ON THE ROAD TO PARIS". eju.net. 3 November 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "10 new refugee athletes get scholarships ahead of Paris Olympics". sportsnddev. 29 August 2023. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ "Paris2024: refugee team grows to 36 athletes". maisfutebol. 2 May 2024. Retrieved 16 July 2024.
- ^ Garcia, Dennis (27 May 202). "Nike and the Refugee Olympic Team: A Redefined Story". America-retail. Retrieved 16 July 2024.