Outrage over Iran hanging young wrestling star sparks international condemnation
Trace Gallagher discusses the execution of a 19-year-old wrestling star and two other young men by the Iranian regime, sparking international outrage. Christina Coleman reports on condemnations from Olympic gold medalists Brandon Slay and Tyler Clary. A panel, including Dr. Houman Hemmati, Shabnam Jaleh, and Eve Barlow, analyzes the regime’s brutal tactics, the internet blackout, and citizens’ desire for freedom.
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A coalition of athletes, including several Olympians, have signed a letter advocating against Iran for its history and plans to execute star athletes, as the planned execution of Iranian boxing champion Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani looms.
Sani is a boxing champion, coach and political prisoner who is currently facing an imminent risk of execution in Iran by the Ayatollah.
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He was arrested by the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) in March 2020 following his participation in the November 2019 nationwide protests, which were initially sparked by a sudden hike in gas prices. The Iranian judiciary charged him with “corruption on earth,” which is a capital offense in the country.
The Olympians, headlined by women’s tennis legend Martina Navratilova and British swimming gold medalist Sharron Davies, call on world governing powers and sports bodies to intervene to prevent the execution.
“Currently, Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a 31-year-old boxing champion and coach, remains on death row,” the letter states.
“We call on the United Nations, international sports federations, and governments to act immediately to save the lives of Iranian dissidents, including athletes. The world must not stand by while Iran silences its champions. We stand with the victims. We stand for justice.”
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The letter also pointed to past incidents of Iranian execution of star athletes in the country, including 19-year-old champion wrestler Saleh Mohammadi, whose execution sparked a global uproar in March.
“Since mid-March, Iran has witnessed a horrific spree of executions of political dissidents, marking one of the most severe crackdowns in the past three decades. Dozens of people have been executed following unfair trials and coerced confessions. The theocratic regime, fearing another uprising, has exploited the cover of war to suppress growing dissent. Several victims of these executions were protesters arrested during the January 2026 uprising. Among them were Saleh Mohammadi, a 19-year-old national wrestling champion, and Sasan Azadvar Joonaghan, a 21-year-old karate champion,” the letter states.
“Tragically, Iran has a grim history of executing athletes for their beliefs, including Habib Khabiri, the captain of Iran’s national football team, who was executed for his affiliation with the PMOI, and Forouzan Abdi, captain of Iran’s national women’s volleyball team, who was executed alongside 30,000 political prisoners during the 1988 massacre. In 2020, Iranian wrestling champion Navid Afkari was executed after participating in peaceful protests in 2018.”
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Saleh Mohammadi, an Iranian wrestling champion reportedly executed over protest participation earlier this year, is shown next to a Tehran billboard featuring Supreme Leaders Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini, Ali Khamenei, and Mojtaba Khamenei on March 10, 2026. (The Foreign Desk/AFP via Getty Images)
The letter includes a total of 24 athlete signees, including nine Olympians and five Iranians.
- Martina Navratilova — Former World No. 1 Women’s Tennis Player (Czech Republic/United States)
- Soolmaz Abooali — 16-time US Champion and three-time World Champion in Traditional Karate (United States)
- Sharron Davies MBE — Swimmer, Olympic Medalist (United Kingdom)
- Craig Foster AM — Former Captain of the National Football Team of Australia (Australia)
- Alberto Frati — Boxer; Former UBO International Super Featherweight Champion (Italy)
- Nikolai Terteryan — Boxer; European Games Gold Medalist (Denmark)
- Moslem Eskandar Filabi — Olympian; Gold Medalist in Greco-Roman Wrestling at the Asian Games (Iran)
- Tracy Edwards MBE — 1990 Yachtsman of the Year; Skipper of the First All-Female Crew in the Whitbread Round the World Yacht Race (United Kingdom)
- Bahram Mavaddat — Former Goalkeeper of the National Football Team of Iran (Iran)
- Carilyn Johnson — Ultrarunner; four-time Member of Team USA; two-time Gold and one-time Silver Medalist Team Member at the IAU 24-Hour World Championship (United States)
- Mohammad Ghorbani — Olympian; Gold Medalist in Freestyle Wrestling at the World Championships and Asian Games (Iran)
- Inga Thompson — Cyclist; Olympian; 10-time US National Champion; three-time World Medalist (United States)
- Monica Aksamit — Saber Fencer; Olympic Bronze Medalist; Pan American Games Gold Medalist (United States)
- Manouchehr Arastoupour — Gold Medalist at the World Rowing Masters Regatta (Iran)
- Chris Cook — Swimmer; Olympian; two-time Commonwealth Games Gold Medalist (United Kingdom)
- Eli Bremer — Olympian, Modern Pentathlon (United States)
- Ali Ziaei — Former National Sanshou Champion and Member of Canadian National Wushu Team (Canada)
- Vladyslav Heraskevych — Olympian, Skeleton Racer (Ukraine)
- Shea McAleese — Olympian; Former Member of the New Zealand National Hockey Team; Commonwealth Games Bronze Medalist (New Zealand)
- Asghar Adibi — Former Member of the National Football Team of Iran (Iran)
- Elham Asem — Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu (BJJ) Fighter and Referee; BJJ World Amateur Champion; Gold Medalist at the AJP Lisbon and Milan International Championships (Norway)
- Golpar Parvardeh — Gymnast; European Championships in TeamGym Silver Medalist (Sweden)
- Amin Karimi — Kickboxer; 16 B-Class Fights, 14 Wins (Germany)
- James Field — Former Captain of the US International Karate Team; Two-time National Grand Champion; Two-time Pan American Champion (United States)