Iran’s only female Olympic medalist Kimia Alizadeh wants to compete for Germany after leaving her country earlier this year. She also blasted at the Iranian lawmakers.
She hopes to rebuild her life in Germany and continue her Taekwondo career.
At a Taekwondo club in Luenen, Germany on Friday, while talking to journalists she said, “Even if I do not make it to the Olympics, it does not matter because I have made up my mind.”
“I am sure that I will be judged by many, but I am just 21 years old and can attend world tournaments and future Olympics. However, I will spare no effort to get the best result at this time as well.”
Kimia won her bronze medal during the 2016 Olympic in Rio de Janeiro, making her the first female athlete to win a medal for Iran. But soon her joy turned into frustration due to the barriers imposed by her country.
She even accused the Iranian government of sexism. Also, she criticized the mandatory rule of wearing the hijab in her Instagram post.
Furthermore, Alizadeh accused the country’s lawmakers of lying and injustice towards the Iranian athletes.
Alizadeh was in Netherlands earlier this week to meet the taekwondo officials. The German Taekwondo union has spoken in her favor and letting her represent and compete for the country.
She said, “If the German government assists me and I can go through this process as fast as possible, I might be able to make it to the Olympics too.”
According to recent reports, she even received offers from Netherlands, Belgium, Canada, and Bulgaria to compete.
Kimia said, wore everything the government asked her to and “repeated everything they told me to say. … None of us matter to them.”
Kimia said she just wants “a peaceful life,” and she’s not looking back.
“I have a great feeling to have made a decision for my life that would definitely change my future,” she said. “I think it is not even clear enough now and, in the years to come, I will understand what a good decision I made.”
Many Iranian athletes have left the country in recent years due to government intervention.