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A coalition of seven Olympians across multiple countries, including three gold medalists, have come forward to condemn the International Olympic Committee (IOC) for its response to the execution of Iranian wrestler Saleh Mohammadi.
After Mohammadi was reportedly hanged in public last week, the IOC released a statement that said, “It is very difficult to comment on situations of individuals during a conflict or unrest in a country without the IOC being able to verify the often contradicting information…
“The IOC, as a civil, non-governmental organization, has neither the remit nor the ability to change the laws or political system of a sovereign country.”
Now, the seven Olympians are sharing their objections to the IOC not condemning Iran for the execution.
The IOC told Fox News Digital it stood by its original statement.
Nancy Hogshead, three-time US Olympic gold medal swimmer
Women’s Sports Foundation Senior Director of Advocacy Nancy Hogshead attends 40 For 40 Event, 40 Years of Title IX, 40 Women Who Have Made an Impact, at JW Marriott Hotel on June 21, 2012 in Washington, DC. (Larry Busacca/Getty Images for WICT)
“I’m flabbergasted that the IOC could not denounce the murder of a teenage wrestler in Iran. The governing organizations of the Olympics are non-political, but denouncing the murder of an athlete for political purposes is not political… it is just doing the right thing,” Hogshead told Fox News Digital.
“Olympians deserve better. The IOC can and should stand against the execution of athletes by violent regimes for political purposes.”
Tyler Clary, US gold medal swimmer at London 2012
US swimmer Tyler Clary celebrates winning gold in the men’s 200m backstroke final swimming event at the London 2012 Olympic Games on August 2, 2012 in London. (CHRISTOPHE SIMON / AFP)
“The IOC’s statement reads like corporate damage control, not moral leadership,” Clary told Fox News Digital.
“Hiding behind neutrality and bureaucracy isn’t leadership, it’s avoidance. The IOC says it doesn’t have the authority to influence sovereign nations, but it has never hesitated to take strong positions when it suits its interests. To suddenly claim impartiality when an athlete is killed shows a lack of backbone and a failure to stand up for the very people who make the Olympic movement possible.”
Maciej Czyzowicz, Poland Olympic gold medal pentathlete at Barcelona 1992
Poland Pentathalon gold medalist Maciej Czyzowicz (Courtesy of Maciej Czyzowicz)
“The International Olympic Committee’s lack of action and resolve is outrageous. Iran should be banned from the Olympic Games for its behavior, unless the regime is overthrown and a new leadership comes to power,” Czyzowicz told Fox News Digital.
“If the IOC is unable to stand up for the life of an innocent teenage athlete, it has completely lost all moral credibility. With this statement they showed that they don’t care if any of Olympic movement countries break human and civil rights”
Keith Sanderson, US Olympic shooter, four-time Olympian
Keith Sanderson on Day 7 of the London 2012 Olympic Games at The Royal Artillery Barracks on August 3, 2012 in London, England. (Lars Baron/Getty Images)
“This is sort of par for the course with the IOC. They enrich themselves at the expense of athletes and cannot even stand up and say that any regime, including Iran, murdering a teenage athlete is categorically wrong,” Sanderson told Fox News Digital.
“The IOC has been known to be corrupt for years, but this is beyond the pale. If the IOC wants to show any shred of morality or credibility, they should denounce this murder and impose sanctions on Iran until their leadership changes or they apologize for this brutal execution.”
Ruben Gonzalez, Argentina Olympic luge athlete, four-time Olympian
Ruben Gonzalez of Argentina after finishing the final run of the men’s luge singles final on day 3 of the 2010 Winter Olympics at Whistler Sliding Centre on February 14, 2010 in Whistler, Canada. (Clive Mason/Getty Images)
“The IOC’s refusal to speak out against Iran for killing the teenage wrestler is shameful. But that’s how they’ve always been. All they care is about themselves,” Gonzalez told Fox News Digital. “As far as the IOC’s concerned, the athletes are simply pawns that allow them to profit. Time and again, it has put its own interests ahead of the athletes it claims to represent. If the IOC has any integrity left, it should publicly condemn the act and take decisive action against Iran.”
Katie Uhlaender, US skeleton athlete, five-time Olympian
Team USA skeleton hopeful Katie Uhlaender poses for a photo during the 2018 U.S. Olympic Team media summit at the Grand Summit Hotel on Sept. 25, 2017. (Kevin Jairaj/USA TODAY Sports)
“The IOC’s claim that they are just a ‘civil organization’ is a convenient excuse for inaction. They used it to dodge accountability for the Russian state-sponsored doping crisis, and they are using it now regarding the safety of Iranian athletes. Whether it’s doping in China, competition manipulation in Canada, or the stolen moments of U.S. skaters in 2022, the pattern is the same: the IOC cannot or will not protect the people who make the Games possible,” Uhlaender told Fox News Digital.
“If the IOC insists that athlete protection is a state responsibility, then the United States has an opportunity to lead by example as it heads into LA 2028. It’s time to stop waiting and start setting the standard for athlete safety and integrity ourselves.”
Eli Bremer, US modern pentathlete at Beijing 2008
Eli Bremer of the United States celebrates in the Men’s Modern Pentathlon Fencing Epee One Touch held at the Fencing Hall during Day 13 of the Beijing 2008 Olympic Games on August 21, 2008 in Beijing, China. (Nick Laham/Getty Images)
“I’ve believed IOC has been morally bankrupt for years and thus not had particularly high expectations for them. That said, I assumed the murder of a teenage athlete by his own country would be something even the IOC could figure out and denounce,” Bremer told Fox News Digital.
“The fact that they cannot come out and say that Iran’s murder of this teenager who had become a national icon is wrong simply confirms how completely out of touch this organization is. I believe sports organizations generally should stay out of politics. But they can and should stand on basic humanity and say that murdering athletes is wrong. The fact that the IOC cannot do this speaks volumes about them.”
Afsoon Roshanzamir Johnston, Iranian-born Team USA Olympic women’s wrestling coach at Rio 2016
“As an Iranian born world-class athlete, coach, and trailblazer for women in wrestling, I am profoundly disappointed by the International Olympic Committee’s recent statement regarding the execution of 19 year-old young wrestler, Saleh Mohammadi,” Johnston told Fox News Digital.
“By framing its role as a ‘non-governmental organization’ without the remit to influence national affairs, the IOC is stepping away from the very principles of the Olympic charter. The charter aims to promote a ‘peaceful society, concerned with the preservation of human dignity,’ yet when a young champion is barbarically and publicly hanged by a state sanctioned execution, ‘quiet diplomacy’ feels painfully inadequate.
“Political neutrality should not result in passivity when athletes face terrorist state sanctioned brutality. Such a “safe” response, sends a troubling message to athletes in Iran and elsewhere; that the life and safety of the athlete is secondary to organizational protocol.
“We don’t need the IOC to change a country‘s laws, we need them to stand up and use their immense platform to support and help protect athletes.”
What happened to Saleh Mohammadi?
Mohammadi was reportedly killed in a public hanging Thursday, according to Iranian American human rights activists and dissidents.
Iran International reported that Iran’s regime hanged Mohammadi and two additional Iranian men, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi, “after being accused of killing two police officers during nationwide protests earlier this year,” the judiciary-linked Mizan news agency reported.
Mohammadi previously told Islamic Republic of Iran Broadcasting that his dream was to be an Olympic champion.
Mohammadi won a bronze medal in September 2024 for Iran’s national freestyle wrestling at the Saytiyev International Cup in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Fox News Digital’s Benjamin Weinthal contributed to this report.
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