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Iranian Pulls Out of Taekwondo Tournament Over Bout with Israeli

A woman stands under a canopy waiting for the rain to stop, as the first winter rains arrive following one of the driest years on record, in Tehran on December 1, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
A woman stands under a canopy waiting for the rain to stop, as the first winter rains arrive following one of the driest years on record, in Tehran on December 1, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
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Iranian Pulls Out of Taekwondo Tournament Over Bout with Israeli

A woman stands under a canopy waiting for the rain to stop, as the first winter rains arrive following one of the driest years on record, in Tehran on December 1, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)
A woman stands under a canopy waiting for the rain to stop, as the first winter rains arrive following one of the driest years on record, in Tehran on December 1, 2025. (Photo by ATTA KENARE / AFP)

Iranian athlete Rozhan Goudarzi withdrew from a taekwondo tournament in Kenya after refusing to compete against an Israeli opponent, local media reported Wednesday.

Iran does not recognize Israel and prohibits any contact between Iranian and Israeli athletes.

As a result, Iranian athletes have long avoided competing against Israelis, often by withdrawing, seeking disqualification or presenting medical certificates, AFP reported.

"Rozhan Goudarzi withdrew from the competition at the U-21 World Taekwondo Championships because she was in the same group as an athlete from the Zionist regime," ISNA news agency reported.

It added that Goudarzi had been due to face the Israeli competitor in the first round.

Iranian officials protested against placing an Iranian athlete in the same group as an Israeli, but the World Taekwondo Federation said it could not alter the competition schedule, the agency added.

Last month, Goudarzi won a bronze medal for Iran in the women's under 51 kg category at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh.

In August 2023, authorities handed Iranian weightlifter Mostafa Rajaei a lifetime ban after he shook hands with an Israeli competitor at an event in Poland.

Young chess prodigy Alireza Firouzja left Iran after the national federation barred him from the 2019 world championship out of concern he might face an Israeli player.
He is now a naturalized French citizen.

In 2021, Iran's supreme leader Ali Khamenei urged athletes "not to shake hands with a representative of the (Israeli) criminal regime to obtain a medal".

In June, Iran and Israel went to war for the first time after Israel launched an unprecedented attack against Iran, triggering a 12-day conflict in which the United States joined with strikes on Iranian nuclear facilities.

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Sports

Marseille Coach De Zerbi Leaves After Humiliating 5-0 Loss to PSG 

Marseille's Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi looks on from the technical area during the French Cup round of 32 football match between FC Bayeux and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Michel-d'Ornano Stadium in Caen on January 13, 2026. (AFP) 
Marseille's Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi looks on from the technical area during the French Cup round of 32 football match between FC Bayeux and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Michel-d'Ornano Stadium in Caen on January 13, 2026. (AFP) 
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Marseille Coach De Zerbi Leaves After Humiliating 5-0 Loss to PSG 

Marseille's Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi looks on from the technical area during the French Cup round of 32 football match between FC Bayeux and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Michel-d'Ornano Stadium in Caen on January 13, 2026. (AFP) 
Marseille's Italian coach Roberto De Zerbi looks on from the technical area during the French Cup round of 32 football match between FC Bayeux and Olympique de Marseille (OM) at the Michel-d'Ornano Stadium in Caen on January 13, 2026. (AFP) 

Marseille coach Roberto De Zerbi is leaving the French league club in the wake of a 5-0 thrashing at the hands of PSG in French soccer biggest game.

The nine-time French champions said on Wednesday that they have ended “their collaboration by mutual agreement.”

The heavy loss Sunday at the Parc des Princes restored defending champion PSG’s two-point lead over Lens after 21 rounds, with Marseille in fourth place after the humiliating defeat.

De Zerbi's exit followed another embarrassing 3-0 loss at Club Brugge two weeks ago that resulted in Marseille exiting the Champions League.

De Zerbi, who had apologized to Marseille fans after the loss against bitter rival PSG, joined Marseille in 2024 after two seasons in charge at Brighton. After tightening things up tactically in Marseille during his first season, his recent choices had left many observers puzzled.

“Following consultations involving all stakeholders in the club’s leadership — the owner, president, director of football and head coach — it was decided to opt for a change at the head of the first team,” Marseille said. “This was a collective and difficult decision, taken after thorough consideration, in the best interests of the club and in order to address the sporting challenges of the end of the season.”

De Zerbi led Marseille to a second-place finish last season. Marseille did not immediately announce a replacement for De Zerbi ahead of Saturday's league match against Strasbourg.

Since American owner Frank McCourt bought Marseille in 2016, the former powerhouse of French soccer has failed to find any form of stability, with a succession of coaches and crises that sometimes turned violent.

Marseille dominated domestic soccer in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It was the only French team to win the Champions League before PSG claimed the trophy last year. It hasn’t won its own league title since 2010.

Sports

Olympic Fans Hunt for Plushies of Mascots Milo and Tina as They Fly off Shelves 

Fans take selfies with the Olympic mascot Tina at the finish area of an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)
Fans take selfies with the Olympic mascot Tina at the finish area of an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)
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Olympic Fans Hunt for Plushies of Mascots Milo and Tina as They Fly off Shelves 

Fans take selfies with the Olympic mascot Tina at the finish area of an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)
Fans take selfies with the Olympic mascot Tina at the finish area of an alpine ski, slalom portion of a women's team combined race, at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Cortina d'Ampezzo, Italy, Tuesday, Feb. 10, 2026. (AP)

For fans of the Milan Cortina Olympic mascots, the eponymous Milo and Tina, it's been nearly impossible to find a plush toy of the stoat siblings in Milan and Cortina d’Ampezzo.

Many of the official Olympics stores in the host cities are already sold out, less than a week into the Winter Games.

“I think the only way to get them is to actually win a medal,” Julia Peeler joked Tuesday in central Milan, where Tina and Milo characters posed for photos with fans.

The 38-year-old from South Carolina is on the hunt for the plushies for her niece. She's already bought some mascot pins, but she won't wear them on her lanyard. Peeler wants to avoid anyone trying to swap for them in a pin trade, a popular Olympic pastime.

Tina, short for Cortina, is the lighter-colored stoat and represents the Olympic Winter Games. Her younger brother Milo, short for Milano, is the face of the Paralympic Winter Games.

Milo was born without one paw but learned to use his tail and turn his difference into a strength, according to the Olympics website. A stoat is a small mustelid, like a weasel or an otter.

The animals adorn merchandise ranging from coffee mugs to T-shirts, but the plush toys are the most popular.

They're priced from 18 to 58 euros (about $21 to $69) and many of the major official stores in Milan, including the largest one at the iconic Duomo Cathedral, and Cortina have been cleaned out. They appeared to be sold out online Tuesday night.

Winning athletes are gifted the plush toys when they receive their gold, silver and bronze medals atop the podium.

Broadcast system engineer Jennifer Suarez got lucky Tuesday at the media center in Milan. She's been collecting mascot toys since the 2010 Vancouver Games and has been asking shops when they would restock.

“We were lucky we were just in time,” she said, clutching a tiny Tina. “They are gone right now.”

Friends Michelle Chen and Brenda Zhang were among the dozens of fans Tuesday who took photos with the characters at the fan zone in central Milan.

“They’re just so lovable and they’re always super excited at the Games, they are cheering on the crowd,” Chen, 29, said after they snapped their shots. “We just are so excited to meet them.”

The San Franciscan women are in Milan for the Olympics and their friend who is “obsessed” with the stoats asked for a plush Tina as a gift.

“They’re just so cute, and stoats are such a unique animal to be the Olympic mascot,” Zhang, 28, said.

Annie-Laurie Atkins, Peeler's friend, loves that Milo is the mascot for Paralympians.

“The Paralympics are really special to me,” she said Tuesday. “I have a lot of friends that are disabled and so having a character that also represents that is just incredible.”

Sports

Cilic Says 600th Tour-Level Win Shows His Dedication to the Sport 

Marin Cilic of Croatia plays a shot to Learner Tien of the United States in the Men's Singles Round of 32 match during day two of the 2026 Dallas Open at The Ford Center at The Star on February 10, 2026 in Frisco, Texas. (Getty Images via AFP)
Marin Cilic of Croatia plays a shot to Learner Tien of the United States in the Men's Singles Round of 32 match during day two of the 2026 Dallas Open at The Ford Center at The Star on February 10, 2026 in Frisco, Texas. (Getty Images via AFP)
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Cilic Says 600th Tour-Level Win Shows His Dedication to the Sport 

Marin Cilic of Croatia plays a shot to Learner Tien of the United States in the Men's Singles Round of 32 match during day two of the 2026 Dallas Open at The Ford Center at The Star on February 10, 2026 in Frisco, Texas. (Getty Images via AFP)
Marin Cilic of Croatia plays a shot to Learner Tien of the United States in the Men's Singles Round of 32 match during day two of the 2026 Dallas Open at The Ford Center at The Star on February 10, 2026 in Frisco, Texas. (Getty Images via AFP)

Former US Open champion ‌Marin Cilic said that joining an elite club of players with at least 600 match wins on the ATP Tour was proof of his dedication to the sport after battling through several injury-ravaged seasons.

The 37-year-old, who has had two knee surgeries since 2023, downed American Learner Tien 7-5 7-6(4) at the Dallas Open on Tuesday to reach the milestone, putting him ‌second behind ‌Novak Djokovic (1,168 wins) among active players.

"It's ‌been ⁠so difficult these ⁠last couple of years, I was battling through many things," said Cilic, who also went past Croatian compatriot Goran Ivanisevic's career tally of 599 tour-level victories.

"Just to get to this level, playing this well against guys like ⁠Learner, who's an incredible player and ‌can have a fantastic ‌career, is just a joy.

"To get this milestone speaks ‌volumes about my dedication to tennis, living ‌in this sport for so many years. It's given me so much joy and I love it. It's fun to be out here still competing ‌and I can't be happier."

Cilic, who claimed his only Grand Slam trophy at ⁠Flushing ⁠Meadows in 2014, tore the lateral meniscus on his right knee in 2023 and underwent surgery. That was followed by another in 2024 following difficulties in his recovery.

The former world number three bounced back on the biggest stage by reaching the fourth round of Wimbledon last year and the third round of the Australian Open last month.

Cilic will face another American in Dallas with either Trevor Svajda or Ethan Quinn up next.