Iranian pulls out of Israeli clash

Iran’s Olympic flagbearer Arash Miresmaeili was today officially withdrawn from the men’s 66-kilogram judo competition after failing to make the weight - despite claims he was made unavailable for political reasons.

Miraesmaeli, the world champion, was due to meet Israeli judoka Ehud Vaks in the first round of the competition but failed to make the weight, an incident which “surprised” the International Judo Federation.