Mahboubeh Gayour, technical director of the Iranian women's track and field team, stated that the organizers of the 2026 Asian Games acted unfairly towards Iranian athlete Fatemeh Mohitizadeh following her disqualification at the Asian Games in Nagoya.
Mohitizadeh faced a serious obstacle at the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya when she was disqualified from the heptathlon after a protest related to her footwear during the long jump on Friday.
Prior to this, Mohitizadeh was one of the leading contenders, having scored 3486 points and leading the second-place athlete by nearly 100 points. However, her participation was suddenly interrupted after it was reported that she used her sprinter spikes for the long jump.
The Iranian athlete was disqualified according to World Athletics rule TR7.1 [TR5.2] [S1], concerning non-compliance with footwear requirements. Gayour told Tehran Times in an exclusive interview that 'our athlete reached the fifth round of the long jump but was disqualified from the Games. In the competition room, where an official judge was present, she checked and confirmed her shoes with an official representative. Based on international rules and after verification by the responsible official, Mohitizadeh was allowed to compete. She then immediately participated in the javelin throw, but we were informed that she was disqualified.'
'The Iranian coaching staff filed a protest against this decision, but the appeal was not directed to the appeals court. The reason cited was that Mohitizadeh's competitors were Japanese, and they claimed she competed in speed shoes,' Gayour continued.
In her opinion, she was unjustly insulted because Iran's protest should have been reviewed by the appeals court. Nevertheless, she noted that due to the Japanese being the host country, this process did not take place. Gayour emphasized that Mohitizadeh is one of Iran's top athletes, and from their perspective, she is a champion and a gold medalist.
When asked about possible negligence on the part of Iranian coaches, Gayour rejected the assumption, stating: 'No, that is not happening. It is better to use the word 'unfair'.' She clarified that according to international rules, all athlete equipment is checked in the competition room before the start of the competition, and the shoes and spikes must comply with the specific sport, after which the athlete is allowed to go to the start line.
'Look, the responsible judge checked her equipment and said there were no problems. But when Mohitizadeh competed and took first place in the long jump, she faced an objection from the Japanese side. The main responsibility lies with the judge who allowed her to start,' Gayour concluded.