Iranian-born Saeid Mollaei won judo silver for Mongolia at the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, but has had a second change of nationality to Azerbaijan approved by the IOC Executive Board ©Getty Images

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) Executive Board has approved judoka Saeid Mollaei's change of nationality to Azerbaijan here, which could lead to him representing a third different country in consecutive Olympic Games next year in Paris.

Tehran-born Mollaei competed for Iran in the Olympics at Rio 2016 and in 2018 was crowned men's under-81 kilograms world champion in, ironically, Baku. 

The following year he fled his home country after controversy in which he was allegedly pressured to withdraw from a third-round bout against Russia's Khasan Khalmurzaev at the World Championships to avoid facing Israeli opponent Sagi Muki.

The scandal led to the Iran Judo Federation being banned by the International Judo Federation (IJF) for four years, only returning last month, and Mollaei switching allegiances to Mongolia.

He won an under-81kg Olympic silver medal at Tokyo 2020 with Mongolia.

But last year he switched again, this time to Azerbaijan, for whom he won a home gold at last year's IJF Grand Slam in Baku.

A three-year waiting period is usually required for an athlete to change nationality with a view to competing at the Olympic Games, but this can be waived by the IOC Executive Board.

It agreed to do this in Mollaei's case with approval from the IJF and National Olympic Committees of Mongolia and Azerbaijan.

Triple jumper Yamilé Aldama for Cuba, Sudan and Britain is one of the few athletes who has competed for three different countries at the Olympic Games ©Getty Images
Triple jumper Yamilé Aldama for Cuba, Sudan and Britain is one of the few athletes who has competed for three different countries at the Olympic Games ©Getty Images

If Mollaei competes at Paris 2024, he would join a select group of athletes to have participated at an Olympic Games under three flags.

A total of 98 athletes have competed under three or more flags at the Olympic Games, but almost all were impacted by the break-up of the Soviet Union and Yugoslavia, according to Bill Mallon, co-founder and former President of the International Society of Olympic Historians.

Triple jumper Yamilé Aldama is an exception.

She represented her native Cuba at Sydney 2000, Sudan at Athens 2004 and then Great Britain at London 2012, having gained citizenship in 2010 nearly 10 years after an initial application.

She also competed under the English flag at the 2014 Commonwealth Games in Glasgow, although had initially planned to represent Scotland.

The IOC Executive Board additionally approved a nationality change for fencer Maxine Esteban, who switched from the Philippines to Ivory Coast for International Fencing Federation events earlier this year.

One winter sport athlete also had their application accepted for the purposes of Milan Cortina 2026, junior world champion Campbell Wright switching from New Zealand to the United States, with whom he holds dual citizenship.

He had represented New Zealand in biathlon at Beijing 2022.