Leader of the Islamic Revolution Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei in his message praised the success and strong faith of the Iranian athletes and also commemorated Iranian cyclist Bahman Golbarnezhad who died after an accident during the competitions.
Here is the Leader’s message, as reported by Mehr and edited by IFP:
In the Name of Allah, the Compassionate, the Merciful
The Paralympic delegation of Mina Martyrs!
You brought honour to and pleased our dear nation. You raised the name of oppressed martyrs of Mina [the 2015 deadly crush in Saudi Arabia] in the world. You showed off the holy Ihram clothes to enemies of the Islamic rituals. I cordially appreciate and thank you. I hope you will remain strongly committed to your religious duties as always with the self-confidence you deserve. Painful incident for the disabled war veteran and athlete, dear Bahman Golbarnezhad, made me sorry and mournful.
Seyyed Ali Khamenei
19 September 2016
