Sports|World
Iranian-born judoka Saeid Mollaei believes members of Iran’s women’s soccer team could be killed or put in prison when they return home after declining to sing the country’s national anthem at the Asian Cup in Australia. As an athlete who faced a similar decision in 2019 to those footballers, Mollaei, an Olympic silver medalist from the Tokyo 2020 Games, is concerned for their safety. “99%, maybe 100%, they are not safe for sure when they go back,” Mollaei told CNN's Amanda Davies in an exclusive interview.
March 18, 2026