Iran cancels Islamic Solidarity Games
So much for that “Islamic solidarity” stuff.
Tehran has canceled the Islamic Solidarity Games after Saudi Arabia asked Iran to remove the term Persian Gulf from game medals and brochures.
The Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) Secretary General Saleh Gazdar and Technical Committee Chairman Mohammad Bashir Al-Trabosli said in a Tehran meeting that Arab states would only participate in the event if the term Persian Gulf is replaced with the Arabian Gulf or Gulf.
Tehran, however, said it would never retreat from its stance concerning the use of the Persian Gulf and canceled the games despite spending over 10 million US dollars on the project in the past two years, alef reported.
Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty adds this tidbit.
Coincidentally (or not), Tehran held a conference today exploring the historical background of the term “Persian Gulf.”
Negotiations are ongoing, so the games may yet go ahead as scheduled in Iran this October.
Although the official website of the Islamic Solidarity Games 2009 says nothing about the controversy, it does have a timetable of sporting events, publicity videos, and a spiffy logo.
At right is a satellite photo of the body of water in question.