The Olympics Should Ban Iran for Its Execution of a Dissident Wrestler https://mosaicmagazine.com/picks/politics-current-affairs/2020/12/the-olympics-should-ban-iran-for-its-execution-of-a-dissident-wrestler/

December 30, 2020 | Hossein Khosrov Ali Vaziri, Benjamin Weinthal, Alireza Nader
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In September, the Islamic Republic put to death the champion wrestler Navid Afkari on blatantly false charges; his real crime was criticism of the country’s tyrannical rulers. Wrestling is a major sport in Iran, especially popular among the lower classes. With the Tokyo Olympics scheduled to begin in the summer of 2021, Hossein Khosrov Ali Vaziri (the wrestler known as the “Iron Sheikh”), Benjamin Weinthal, and Alireza Nader urge the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to take action:

The IOC and United World Wrestling (UWW) failed to speak out when they could have saved Afkari’s life by warning the regime that murdering its own athletes would make it a pariah, unwelcome at the Olympics and other world-championship competitions. To provide a measure of justice for Afkari and repair their own tattered reputations, the two organizations must now banish Iran’s regime from international sports competition.

Even as the IOC and UWW went silent, wrestlers and martial artists launched a grassroots campaign to save Afkari. Popular and decorated wrestlers across the globe, from Germany to Canada to the United States, posted messages and videos on social media urging the regime to cancel the hanging. . . . Then, after the regime did the dastardly deed, the IOC said it was “shocked” and noted that the IOC president Thomas Bach had appealed by letter to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei and President Hassan Rouhani for “mercy for Navid Afkari.” The UWW issued a self-absorbed statement about its “behind-the-scenes work” with the IOC.

Neither seemed to understand that the Tehran regime can easily ignore quiet appeals; what it fears is public shame. Seeking justice for Afkari may also help spare the life of other Iranian athletes—such as disabled bodybuilder Reza Tabrizi, who may face execution for asking why gyms have been closed during the COVID pandemic while religious shrines remain open. . . . The IOC should make clear [that the] Olympics have no place for regimes that kill their own competitors.

Read more on New York Daily News: https://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/ny-oped-the-olympics-must-ban-iran-20201221-l57c6flgoncerg3xq2675wiudm-story.html