Iranian taekwondo fighter to compete for Bulgaria

Iranian taekwondo fighter Farzad Zolghadri has quit Iran and is training with the Bulgarian team for the upcoming qualification for this summer's Olympics, the Bulgarian Taekwondo Federation announced Wednesday.

"We are counting on him to secure a place for Bulgaria in the 2020 Tokyo Olympics," federation chief Slavi Binev said, adding that moves were underway to enable Zolghadri to compete in April's qualifiers in Milan.

Zolghadri's move follows the defection of Iran's only female Olympic medallist Kimia Alizadeh, who won a bronze medal for her country in taekwondo at the 2016 Rio Games.

Alizadeh had announced her decision earlier this month, citing the "hypocrisy" of a system that she claimed humiliated athletes while using them for political ends.

Binev told the Trud newspaper, however, that Zolghadri's decision to switch countries was "not political".

"The Iranians are among the world's top, they have a number of athletes in one category. Not everyone can compete and they look for alternatives," Binev explained.

Zolghardi posted a picture on Facebook from Tehran airport on January 17, saying it was the start of a "new season of life".

The 27-year-old's father is a former secretary of the Iranian taekwando federation and also coached the national team.

"The best and most important decision of my life, thank you for all your support, Bulgarian Taekwondo federation... Good things are coming," he said in a January 20 post next to his photo with a green Bulgarian Taekwondo team T-shirt at Bulgaria's sports training base of Belmeken.

Along with judo, taekwondo is one of Iran's sporting strengths.

Other athletes who have left Iran in the past are judoka Saeed Mollaei, who defected to Mongolia, and chess players Alireza Firouzja, who lives in France and intends to play under the International Chess Federation (FIDE) flag, and Dorsa Derakhshani, who plays under the US flag.