The Olympic Committee of Israel (OCI) has condemned Iran’s “delegitimization campaign” against Israeli athletes, after a video shared widely on social media depicted an Israeli athlete with blood on his hands.
The video was originally shared last week, by Ofogh TV, an Iranian state television channel. The “ugly propaganda piece,” as the OCI described it, shows an Israeli athlete, with a menorah tattooed on his neck, shaking hands with other competitors, and leaving blood on their hands. He is then confronted by the other athletes, who wipe the blood onto his jacket, and the video zooms into an Israeli flag covered in blood.
The OCI condemned the video, alongside Iran’s actions throughout the Paris Olympics. “Not only that the Iranians are sending death threats to our athletes and putting their well-being in danger, they are now openly in a delegitimization campaign against them,” a spokesperson told the JC. “The blood depicted in the video is on Iran’s and their accomplices' hands”.