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Iranian discrimination against Ahwazi athletes

Despite of Al-Ahwaz was cradle of athletes in different sports such as football, kick boxing and etc, but due to racist policies been taken by Iranian regime, has led to decrease number of Ahwazi sports’ men.

The large number of Ahwazi football playground been destroyed by the authorities and been built up for construction purposes especially in “Erfish” (Lashkar Abad, Persian name) neighbourhood and “Kut Abdollah” district.

In similar way, the Ahwazi kick boxing athletes has been suffering from Iranian systematic policies in preventing them from basic help or their participation in international sports.

Mr. Adnan Amiri is an Ahwazi famous kick boxer as well as “king of Ring”, from Falahieyh city, born on 1988 and playing between 10 to 12 years in this field is a clear example of  Iranian racial discrimination against Ahwaz Arab athletes.

Adnan Amiri, who has won kickboxing trophies both in Iran itself and competing for the country internationally, said that he feels driven to the desperate measure since he needs the money to feed his family and pay for essential medical treatment for his mother, who is ill. “I decided to sell my kidney,” he told an Iranian media outlet, adding, “I could no longer provide for my family.”

Amiri, who won Iran’s first international title as kickboxing champion at a tournament in Turkey last year, said that he had put up flyers offering to sell a kidney and providing his blood type and phone number, around hospitals and kidney transplant centres in his hometown of Falahieyh and in other cities in the Ahwaz region.

ACHR source quoted that after Amiri won the international sport for Iran, due to his Arabic identity, the authority did not event wrote a banner to welcome him after his return from abroad as it was usual for other Iranian athletes.

Also Amiri has recently established a small kick boxing club in Falahieyh city. The club was founded and supported by Ahwazi good people (charity), and has lack of some devices such as air condition due to high temperature of local weather. Iranian authorities in Falahieyh city has helped all the club except Amiri’s club.

Amiri has joined the Iranian “Foolad Khuzestan” company six months ago and participated in many kick boxing competition and won many gold medals and the company did not pay anything to him for his wining.

Amiri also he won all his matches but been charged by the Iranian authorities with “Wahhabism” just for wearing his traditional Arabic dress

In the similar context, Mr. Hossein Ataei is another Ahwazi Arab kick boxer that lives in Ahwaz capital and born on 1992 that been suffered from Iranian regime discrimination.

Ataei by participating in weight 75 competition, has won more than 30 competitions across different provinces in Iran with the hope to be sent for international competition but the authorities have prevented Ataei from his international competition.

Ataei has a match with other kick boxer in Tehran last year and during the match he was injured severely that led him to stay in hospital for three months. He has no support from the regime and all treatment been done by the Ahwazi athlete himself.

Rasoul Kaab Omeir is another Ahwazi kick boxer that also suffered from Iranian sport racial discrimination. Rasoul born on 1994 from Ahwaz capital has won many gold medals in different Iranian cities but similar to Ataei, he was prevented from participating in international matches and in many cases was subjected to discernment for his Arabic identity.

The scourge of poverty is rife in Ahwazi areas and like lethal disease hits and shatters, and displaces Ahwazis. The leading cause behind the growing poverty in Ahwaz can, in part, be attributed to the unequal employment opportunities and stifling unemployment intentionally inflicted on Ahwazis. These policies are an indispensable part of the Iranian regime discriminatory policies undertaken against Ahwazis, who continue to demand their basic rights.

As a matter of fact, Ahwazis continue to live in such acute and grinding poverty and an endless marathon of divestment that many of them have no option but to consider leaving their homeland as the only viable alternative available to them. The Iranian regime exercises and exploits poverty as a harsh weapon against Ahwazis with the sole intention of forcing them to leave their lands.

Ahwazi Centre for Human Rights

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