Iran: Politics and Combat Sports

The Islamic Republic of Iran is a totalitarian state that uses athletes to promote their regime (and enforce official policies of the regime). The state also punishes athletes whenever they share an opinion that is counter to the ruling theocracy. This punishment is extreme and has lead to executions of athletes (among the scores of others killed regularly by the regime).

Combat sports athletes have been especially susceptible to interference by the regime. Iran is one of the top nations when it comes to wrestling and many other martial arts. On the world stage Iranian combat athletes are used as pawns and are forced to lose to avoid match-ups with Israeli opponents (since Iran does not acknowledge the existence of Israel).

Athletes who refuse these political games on the mat face serious repercussions. Those repercussions are often extended to athlete’s families, too.

One of the most notable incident of Iran killing an athlete was the 2015 execution of Navid Afkari. Afkari was a national level Greco-Roman wrestler who had participated in protest against the regime. He was then arrested and charged with killing a security officer, after an investigation and trial that many international observers view as a sham.

Bloody Elbow is the only combat sports news site that tracks sportswashing and persecution of athletes in the Islamic Republic of Iran. This storystream is your home for these stories, updates and editorials about what is happening there.