Iranian Paralympic athlete refuses to shake Duchess of Cambridge's hand 'for cultural reasons because she's a woman' at medal ceremony

Discus thrower Mehrdad Karam Zadeh clutched his chest after he was presented with his silver medal

Iranian cultural convention bans men from shaking hands with unrelated women

St. James's Palace insisted Kate was warned beforehand not to expect a handshake



An Iranian athlete refused to shake the Duchess of Cambridge's hand after she presented him with his discus silver medal on Sunday.

The Royal was warmly received on the podium by Paralympic GB's gold medal winner Aled Davies and Chinese bronze medallist Lezheng Wang.

But when it was Mehrdad Karam Zadeh's turn to step up, the 40-year-old failed to offer a hand to the Duchess, clutching them close to his chest.

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Hot on her heels: Kate Middleton presented the medals to the Men's Discus Throwing winners on Sunday

Briefed: St. James's Palace insists the Duchess was warned not to expect a handshake

His decision not to shake hands with the Duchess was likely to have been a result of Iranian cultural convention which bans such contact between unrelated men and women. The Duchess appeared to have been briefed on the situation, because she did not offer her hand either.

The incident threatened to overshadow a glittering night for Paralympics GB, which enjoyed its most successful day of the Games so far with seven gold medals.

The Iranian delegation in London have not been available to comment on the incident, but according to the Daily Telegraph, they have told Games organisers Zadeh was not making a political statement.

It's believed the athlete was merely conforming to Iranian cultural convention, forbidding men from shaking hands with unrelated women.

A spokesman for St. James's Palace has revealed the Duchess was briefed beforehand and warned not to offer her hand to Zadeh.

Presentation: The Duchess hands over the medal, left, and Zadeh claps his hands to his chest, right End of the presentation: The Duchess of Cambridge moves away from the athlete

AN HONOUR, BUT IT WOULD HAVE INSULTED ISLAM

The Islamic rules about touching apply to Muslims and non-Muslims. A man or a woman is only allowed to shake hands, or have similar contact, with someone of the same sex. However, there are several exceptions for close relatives such as brothers, sisters, fathers, mothers, and so on.

'Many male athletes from Islamic countries do not shake hands in public with women they are not related to for cultural and religious reasons,' the palace representative said.

The palace added Middleton was 'honoured' to get the chance to present the medals, particularly to a British champion in Davies.

It put Paralympic GB in second place in the medal table, with 54 in all.

The Iranians have said that had the medal been presented by a man Zadeh would have shaken his hand. Likewise, had the Duchess presented the medal to a female Iranian they would not have hesitated to shake hands.



However, it's not the first time the Iranian custom has caused controversy.

Last year the Iranian volleyball team had to apologise after several team members shook hands with a female referee after a game against Afghanistan.

The gesture provoked outrage and Iran’s state-owned media described the players' behaviour as 'stunning and inappropriate'.

Beaming: The Duchess of Cambridge smiles as she hands the gold medal to Aled Davies of Paralympic GB

Shaking hands: The pair have no such issues as Aled Davies enjoys his moment of glory

Podium: Mehrdad Karam Zadeh poses with gold medallist Aled Davies and third placed Lezheng Wang of China Earlier on Sunday, Kate cheered with delight as Britain's mixed coxed fours crew - David Smith, James Roe, Naomi Riches, Pam Relph and cox Lily van den Broecke - pulled away from their German rivals and crossed the finish line first at Eton Dorney. In all, there were medals across athletics, rowing, dressage, table tennis, swimming and cycling yesterday – taking the overall total to 16 golds, 24 silver and 14 bronze. It puts Paralympic GB in second place in the medal table, with 54 in all.





VIDEO: Watch Kate encounter with the Iranian discus thrower