Key Points
- World Transplant Games athlete Saeed Montazer Parchi claims he was assaulted after playing a song and dancing to it at an event.
- He left the Iranian team camp during the event in Perth, which ran for one week in April.
- His dream is to compete for Australia at the next Games.
It was the final day of the World Transplant Games in Perth and Saeed Montazer Parchi stood on the podium awaiting the presentation of a gold medal, after winning the men's 40-49 year, 200m sprint event.
Unlike other medal winners on the podium, the Iranian competitor didn’t feel proud or joyous of his win, rather he was pondering a decision that would change his life forever.
He told SBS Persian that he wanted to “run away” from the stadium, his teammates and a potential threat to his personal safety if he was to return to Iran.
"It was my fifth medal in this tournament, and it was a gold one," Parchi said.
"But it wasn’t a joyful moment at all. I was asking myself why should I go back to Iran. Why, as a champion with five medals, would a trip back to my hometown be so frightening?"
Saeed Montazer Parchi (centre) received a gold medal for the 200 metres event at the recent World Transplant Games in Perth. Credit: Supplied
'Dancing is a sin'
Parchi arrived in Australia as part of the Iranian national team on 14 April, a day before the event commenced.
He confirmed that he did not plan to claim asylum while in Australia.
A spokesperson from the World Transplant Games told SBS Persian that attending athletes had to apply and be granted a visa to take part in the tournament.
On the fourth day of the event, the host city staged a cultural celebration party at the Western Australia Museum Boola Bardip, with a number of competing athletes in attendance.
“Everyone was playing songs from their own countries and dancing," Parchi said.
"I did the same. I just played a song from my hometown in Mazandaran, and danced happily for two or three minutes."
Saeed Montazer Parchi at the World Transplant Games party in Perth where he played a song and danced. Credit: Supplied
“One of the guards intervened and stopped me from playing the song."
Things "took a turn for the worse" when the team went back to their hotel, he claimed.
“When we returned to the hotel, [the guards] asked my roommate to leave the room.
Five minutes later, the [same] guard came into my room, slapped me across the face and told me that I had dishonoured the regime because dancing is a sin.Saeed Montazer Parchi
"Then he threatened me, [saying] that I would see what would happen to me back in Iran."
A spokesperson from the World Transplant Games said each registered participant agrees to a standards of conduct declaration.
"Any alleged breach of those standards would naturally be treated extremely seriously and be referred to the World Transplant Games Federation, and, if necessary, to the relevant authorities," the spokesperson said.
"The World Transplant Games has a 50-year history of being conducted in the spirit of international friendship and cooperation to promote the gift of life."
Parchi said the incident - which he did not report to event organisers out of fear for his safety - marked a “turning point” in his life, coming just weeks after he had lost two friends during protests in Iran.
Siamak Kalari and Mirza Kalari were killed in a demonstration on April 15 in Mazandaran, Iran.
The exact cause of their deaths is unknown, but videos published on social media show that there was a shooting during the protest, and there were reports claiming that they were in fact killed by police.
Following the incident in his hotel room, Parchi decided he would not return to Iran.
“That night, I couldn’t sleep at all. If I went back, they would put me in jail for the rest of my life,” he said.
He took his chance following the 200m medal ceremony to leave the team camp.
The Iranian team was like a 'prison'
Parchi said leaving the hotel to seek asylum in Australia was not as easy as it seemed, as there were two guards monitoring the athletes' movements around the clock.
“There were guards with us every time we attended tournaments abroad. [In Perth], the situation was even worse. There was a guard with the team at almost every moment. They monitored everything, even what we ate,” he said.
There was a guard in the hotel lobby all of the time. We couldn’t even go out shopping alone. It was like a prison; we were the prisoners, and the guards monitored us. They were worried that we would talk against the regime.Saeed Montazer Parchi
Parchi said he had to pay a $35,000 bond before coming to Australia, and that it was unclear whether the money would be returned to his family.
“We usually had to pay about $5,000. However, this time it was much more."
Saeed Montazer Parchi says he hopes to compete for Australia at the next WTG in Germany. Credit: Supplied
If his application is successful, he hopes to compete at the 2025 World Transplant Games in Germany, this time as a part of Australia’s national team.
“They could’ve jailed me in Iran. Seeking asylum is the only thing I could’ve done."
“I’m a professional athlete and want to continue my career. I hope to compete for Australia’s national team in the next world tournament."
A Home Affairs spokesperson told SBS Persian it will not comment on individuals cases.
"Raising the public profile of particular individuals and groups who may be subject to persecution in other countries can have the effect of placing them at greater risk of harm," the spokesperson said.
"Individuals who arrive lawfully in Australia who seek asylum, and are found to engage Australia’s non-refoulement (non-return) obligations may be granted a permanent protection visa, subject to fulfilling relevant visa criteria and the health, character and security requirements that apply to all Australian visas."
Athletes under pressure
With the rise of the 'Woman, Life, Freedom' movement in Iran, a number of athletes have recently sought asylum in different countries.
On 21 April, Sattar Seid, a cross-country skier, who represented Iran at three Winter Olympic Games, announced he was seeking asylum in Norway.
In addition, the National Council of Resistance of Iran (NCRI) Women's Committee has that: “Several Iranian female athletes and national team members have defected and sought refuge in other countries because of Iran’s misogynistic and repressive laws.”
Athletes inside Iran have faced challenges.
In December, a flight carrying former national soccer team captain Ali Daei's wife and daughter was to prevent them from leaving the country.
Also, there are reports that Elnaz Rekabi, an Iranian climber who didn't wear the Islamic Republic's mandatory hijab in a tournament in South Korea,
SBS Persian sought comment from the Ministry of Sport and Youth of Iran but did not receive a response by the time of publication.
