BEIJING -- Despite the differences between their countries, an Iranian and an Israeli shared a hug and a pat on the back Sunday morning after the opener of the Olympic men's basketball tournament.
Iranian center Hamed Ehadadi and David Blatt share a moment of goodwill after the Blatt-coached Russian team beat Iran in the opening game.
The hug between Russian coach David Blatt, who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, and Iranian captain Mohammed Nikkhah, came after Nikkhah was questioned by an Israeli journalist about the tensions between the two countries stemming from Iran's nuclear program, which Israel views as a threat to its existence.
On Saturday, an Iranian swimmer refused to race in a preliminary Olympic heat because an Israeli athlete was competing in the same race.
"We are coming here for playing sport, nothing else," Nikkhah said. As he exited the postgame interview podium, Blatt stood and embraced him, and Nikkhah returned the gesture.
Blatt and Iran's coach, Rajko Toroman, who is Serbian, had a similar exchange as Toroman left the podium. Blatt later warmly greeted Iran's 7-foot-2 center Hamed Ehadadi.
Russia got 19 points and five steals from American expatriate J.R. Holden and 15 points and three blocks from Andrei ***ilenko, pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 71-49 victory over Iran in a game that tipped off at 9 a.m. local time.
Viktor Khryapa of Russia, who was held out of his team's tuneup games due to an ankle injury, played 20 minutes and shot 4-for-5, re-entering the game midway through the third quarter and leading the charge as Russia closed the game with a 25-13 run.
"People don't know how badly he's injured. He has a torn ligament, and he opted to play rather than have surgery," Blatt said. "He's about 60 percent -- and 40 percent is physical and 20 percent is heart."
Chris Sheridan is an ESPN.com Insider. He has covered the U.S. senior national team since the 1996 Olympics. To e-mail Chris, click here.
Iranian center Hamed Ehadadi and David Blatt share a moment of goodwill after the Blatt-coached Russian team beat Iran in the opening game.
The hug between Russian coach David Blatt, who holds dual Israeli and American citizenship, and Iranian captain Mohammed Nikkhah, came after Nikkhah was questioned by an Israeli journalist about the tensions between the two countries stemming from Iran's nuclear program, which Israel views as a threat to its existence.
On Saturday, an Iranian swimmer refused to race in a preliminary Olympic heat because an Israeli athlete was competing in the same race.
"We are coming here for playing sport, nothing else," Nikkhah said. As he exited the postgame interview podium, Blatt stood and embraced him, and Nikkhah returned the gesture.
Blatt and Iran's coach, Rajko Toroman, who is Serbian, had a similar exchange as Toroman left the podium. Blatt later warmly greeted Iran's 7-foot-2 center Hamed Ehadadi.
Russia got 19 points and five steals from American expatriate J.R. Holden and 15 points and three blocks from Andrei ***ilenko, pulling away in the fourth quarter for a 71-49 victory over Iran in a game that tipped off at 9 a.m. local time.
Viktor Khryapa of Russia, who was held out of his team's tuneup games due to an ankle injury, played 20 minutes and shot 4-for-5, re-entering the game midway through the third quarter and leading the charge as Russia closed the game with a 25-13 run.
"People don't know how badly he's injured. He has a torn ligament, and he opted to play rather than have surgery," Blatt said. "He's about 60 percent -- and 40 percent is physical and 20 percent is heart."
Chris Sheridan is an ESPN.com Insider. He has covered the U.S. senior national team since the 1996 Olympics. To e-mail Chris, click here.
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