Tehran - Iran will compete against Israel at the Olympic Games for the first time since the 1979 Islamic revolution, Tehran media reported Saturday.

Iranian athletes have always rejected competing alongside Israelis as a sign of solidarity with the Palestinians and therefore faced disqualification on several occasions in international sport.

Iran does not recognize Israel as a sovereign state and has in the last three decades followed a hostile approach towards the Israeli government.

During the 2004 Athens Olympics, Iran's judo world champion Arash Miresmaeili, one of the country's biggest hopes for a gold medal, refused to compete against Ehud Vaks of Israel in the first round out of solidarity for the Palestinian cause.

Although rewarded back home and declared a source of pride for the country, Miresmaeili said that quitting the Olympics without even competing was "a very difficult decision."

However at the Beijing Games, Iranian swimmer Mohammad Alirezaei, who has been drawn against Israel swimmer Tom Beeri in Saturday's first heats of the 100-metre breaststroke, will compete.

The Iranian National Olympic Committee (INOC) said that as there is "no face-to-face situation" in swimming there would be no problem in attending the competition.

"Alirezaei swims in lane one and the representative of the Zionist regime (Israel) in lane seven, so they will not face each other," INOC secretary Ali Kafashian told ISNA news agency.

According to ISNA, also the country's sports organization, which is part of President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad's government, have confirmed that there would no be boycott. (dpa)