A long-standing critic of the [missing word] and the ex-head of the rogue nation’s national wrestling team are calling on sports bodies to bar Iran from competitions only weeks after Tehran put thousands of anti-government protesters to death.
Wrestling — a beloved national pastime in Iran — has been severely impacted by the Iranian regime’s brutal killing of protesters fighting to end 47 years of Islamist authoritarian rule. According to a Friday report from London-based independent news outlet Iran International, the clerical government killed Parsa Lorestani, a 15-year-old protester and wrestler from Zagheh in western Iran. A government sniper shot Lorestani dead in Khorramabad during a Jan. 8 protest, and the outlet shared video footage of the young boy wrestling.
Iranian-American Sardar Parshei, former head coach of Iran’s national Greco-Roman wrestling team, posted on his X account Friday: “Another wrestler murdered. Erfan Kari was 20 — a champion. He could have been an Olympian. Instead, the Islamic regime shot him for protesting. Other wrestlers are still in prison. Be their voice. Save them.”
Prominent dissident Masih Alinejad told her 786,800 X followers in a Friday post: “The Islamic Republic has slaughtered over 40,000 protesters, thousands of whom are athletes, children, teens, young adults, women, men, and individuals from diverse sports disciplines. Meanwhile, the regime shamelessly exploits international sporting events to legitimize itself and cover up its crimes. With the upcoming FIFA World Cup set to be hosted in the U.S., we demand FIFA take a firm, principled stand.”
Alinejad pointed out that the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) — designated a terrorist organization by the U.S. and EU — controls every facet of Iranian society, including sports.
Alinejad stated: “FIFA, the International Olympic Committee, and all global sports organizations must refuse to legitimize a system that massacres its own people and athletes for demanding freedom and human dignity. Boycott the Islamic Republic from all international sporting competitions.”
Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston, the first American female wrestler to win a world championship medal in 1989, told [missing outlet] Digital that the slaughter of protesters in her homeland makes her sick.
She said: “It is with a very sad and heavy heart that I speak for the Iranian people and the dire situation unfolding in my homeland. As a young girl in Iran during the 1979 Revolution, I vividly remember the feeling of time being turned back 100 years as women’s freedoms and fundamental human rights were stripped away overnight.”
Roshanzamir Johnston noted that females [missing verb] to participate in athletics, while young male wrestlers are being tortured and executed.
She added: “We can no longer turn a blind eye to this brutality. It is time for action: we must find a way to apply undeniable pressure on the regime to end these mass killings without taking away our athletes’ hard-earned opportunities. The world must stand with the people of Iran before more of our bravest souls are lost.”
Parshei, a former world champion in Greco-Roman wrestling, told [missing outlet] Digital he is also campaigning for [missing organization] to block Iran from competitions.
When asked if the IOC would ban Iran and whether the Olympic body supports the U.S. [missing part] regarding 19-year-old wrestler Saleh Mohammadi (who faces an imminent death penalty), the IOC media team directed [missing outlet] Digital to a Jan. 29 statement on the matter.
The statement read: “We will continue to work with our Olympic stakeholders to help where we can, often through quiet sport diplomacy. The IOC remains in touch with the Olympic community from Iran.”
Dan Russell, executive director of the U.S.-based Wrestling for Peace organization, said sports and diplomacy can be complex, but in the current situation, athletes must stand together.
Russell stated: “Neutrality cannot mean indifference when lives are at stake. Sport must take a stand for peace, respect, and human dignity.”
Russell added: “Every option must be considered to demand an immediate halt to executions, the release of imprisoned wrestlers like Saleh Mohammadi and Alireza Nejati, and basic protections for athletes who speak with conscience — athletes who represent the best of our wrestling family.”
A spokesman for Iran’s UN mission told [missing outlet] Digital: “The mission declined to comment.”
However, not all critics of [missing word] support banning Iran from sports competitions.
British-Iranian expert on the Islamic Republic Potkin Azarmehr said: “I am not in favor of banning Iran’s wrestling team. If Iran’s wrestling team competes, it provides an opportunity for more defections and spectator protests against the regime, which will be televised and reach millions of viewers inside Iran too.”
He added: “A ban would only be blanket victimization of other wrestlers who have trained long hours for these opportunities. Having said that, the IOC and UWW should issue a statement and ensure spectators are allowed to display pictures of the fallen wrestlers.”