Olympia 2018: No smartphones for Iranians: Athletes write protest letter to the IOC

An affair over deprived smartphones is warming up the spirits at the Olympic Winter Games in Pyeongchang.

In contrast to all other participants, the athletes from Iran and North Korea did not receive any telephones from the organizers due to international sanctions. The decision has now been revised, but the Iranians could not appease it.

“Our athletes refused to accept smartphones. They have handed over a letter of protest to the International Olympic Committee and are waiting for an official written response,”said Hassan Taherian, Iran’s ambassador to South Korea, IRNA News Agency.

The head of the Games Organising Committee has already apologised to the Iranians. Lee Hee Beom wrote to the team and described the process as “misunderstanding”.

The phones of the South Korean brand Samsung hold information on logistics and competitions. According to IRNA, Mohammad-Javad Azari Jahromi, Iran’s Minister of Communications and Technology, is considering a ban on imports of Samsung products due to the incident in Pyeongchang.