The mad mullahs of Iran lift their masks and reveal their naked hatred—and the International Judo Federation blinks: Tehran Defiant as Israel Urges Penalty.

ATHENS (Reuters) - Judo’s governing body failed to reach a decision on Monday about punishing Iran for its refusal to compete against Israel at the Athens Olympics.

Israel’s top judo official had said Iran should be penalized but Tehran remained defiant in the face of accusations that its political boycott was a challenge to Olympic ideals.

International Judo Federation spokesman Michel Brousse said an emergency IJF executive board meeting, following an inconclusive session on Sunday, had been postponed because some executive committee members were unable to attend.

He could not say when it might now take place. [Don’t hold your breath. —ed.]

But the IJF would set up a committee, he said, to examine why Iran’s world champion Arash Miresmaeili failed to fight Israeli Ehud Vaks in the 66 kg first round on Sunday.

Before the meeting, Israeli judo chief Eddy Koaz said: “I think the IJF must stand and say that we cannot involve politics in sport and I think also they must punish them, because it is not the first time that they (Iran) have done this.

“We cannot let them just do it because if they do it and nothing happens, other countries will do it again.”

Tehran said it had no regrets.

“Our policy is not to recognize the Zionist regime in any international event … We cannot accept the presence of anyone in international events under the flag of that regime,” government spokesman Abdollah Ramazanzadeh told a news conference.

Ramazanzadeh described Miresmaeili’s action as voluntary but made clear it expected its competitors to avoid Israelis. “We thank all our athletes who voluntarily follow our policy in international events and consider them our real national champions and heroes of peace,” he said.

He also charged that Israel, not Iran, was the country that was trampling on the Olympic spirit — in occupied Palestinian land: “The spirit of peace and friendship suggests that occupation must end and international organizations should help to end it,” the government spokesman said.

UPDATE at 8/16/04 8:22:36 pm:

And in a horrible postscript, the Israeli judoka weeps for and admires his Iranian opponent: An Israeli weeps for a foe never fought. (Hat tip: Allah.)

ATHENS — At the rear of the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall yesterday, Yudi Vaks squatted down onto his heels and buried his big square head in his arms — imagine the fetal position gone vertical — and sobbed.

The 24-year-old judoka wept for Arash Miresmaeili, the young Iranian who didn’t fight him because Mr. Vaks is a Jew from the hated state of Israel, and the Islamic Republic of Iran does not let its athletes compete against Israelis. He would rather have had Mr. Miresmaeili beat the snot out of him, as indeed the reigning world champion in the half-light class likely would have done, than advance through the first round via a DNS — short for did not show.

“It’s not the way I wanted to win,” Mr. Vaks said. “Sport is more than two people fighting judo; it’s contesting. It’s really unfair for him. It’s a small world, judo. I admire him. He’s a great player.

”I’m sure, given the chance,“ he said, voice breaking a little, ”he would fight. It feels horrible, for him. I don’t have to imagine how I feel when I lose, but this is worse. They didn’t even let him fight.”

Well, maybe. But it’s also possible that he really hates you, isn’t it, Yudi?

When the Palestinian delegation marched into the Olympic Stadium at the opening ceremonies last week, they were warmly welcomed. When the Iraqis came in, they got a standing ovation and the loudest cheers of the night. Even the Americans were greeted with polite, if unenthusiastic, applause.

But the small Israeli team — 36 athletes competing in 14 sports — was met with quiet so complete it was shocking.