Leader Admires Paralympians for Bringing Glory to Iran
TEHRAN (Tasnim) – Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyed Ali Khamenei praised the country’s athletes in the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games for bringing honor to the country.
“You won glory and delighted the dear nation,” Ayatollah Khamenei said in a message on Monday, after return of the Iranian Paralympic squad –dubbed Mina martyrs team- from Brazil.
The Leader also expressed gratitude to the Iranian athletes for letting the world hear the voice of “the oppressed Mina martyrs” and for displaying the ihram outfit in the eyes of the enemies of Islamic symbols.
Ayatollah Khamenei then hoped that the Iranian athletes will always observe religious regulations with the “self-confidence that you deserve”.
The Leader also expressed sympathy for the death of Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad, who died after a crash in the men’s C4/C5 road race at the Rio Paralympics on Saturday.
Iran finished in 15th in the event after winning 8 golds, 9 silvers and 7 bronze medals.
During the opening ceremony of the games, the most-visible member of the Iranian squad, flag-bearer Eshrat Kordestani, wore an all-white costume, similar to an ihram, the item of clothing worn by female Hajj pilgrims.
The symbolic gesture was meant to pay tribute to hundreds of Hajj pilgrims from Iran and other countries killed in a deadly crush during last year’s Hajj in Saudi Arabia.
In Hajj 2015, some 7,000 people were killed, 477 of whom were Iranians. 12 Iranians were killed in a crane collapse in Mecca, while 465 others lost their lives in the Mina crush, known as the worst ever tragedy during Hajj.
