Minutes later, a journalist from Press TV – an English language Iranian news organisation – said: ‘First of all you say you support the Iranian people but you’re pronouncing our country’s name wrong. Our country is name Iran, not ”aye-ran”…

‘Second of all, are you okay to be representing your country that has so much discrimination against black people in its own borders?’ he asked pointedly.

[Tyler] Adams, whose mother is a White American but whose biological father is African-American, responded cordially: ‘My apologies on the mispronunciation of your country. That being said, there’s discrimination everywhere you go… in the U.S. we’re continuing to make progress every single day… as long as you make progress that’s the most important thing.’ …

But the next question from Iranian media immediately pulled back to the political issues, asking: ‘Sport is something that should bring nations closer together and you are a sportsperson. Why is it that you should not ask your government to take away its military fleet from the Persian Gulf?’

[First, Press TV is a state-run media outlet that propagandizes for the mullahs. Second, it’s beyond laughable to get a lecture on tolerance from a flack for a regime that imprisons women for not covering their hair. Finally, Adams handled this beautifully, defending his country and trying to focus the presser on the positive aspects of tomorrow’s game. — Ed]