The Iranian regime is executing athlete dissidents. Why? And what can be done?

On October 14, Iranian mountain climber and musician Ali-Sina Mostafavi was executed because of his alleged armed involvement in support of the Israel-US war on Iran and support for the former Iranian monarchy.

Mostafavi, who had ascended many of the world’s highest peaks, including Mount Everest, was “swiftly” sentenced to death.

Athletes and other high-profile Iranians accused of dissent have long been targeted by the country’s government. Execution is often the punishment: Iran has executed 691 people since the beginning of the year, according to human rights organisation Iran Human Rights. Last year, that number was 2,159 executions, according to Amnesty International.

In September, more than 40 countries issued a joint statement condemning the “continued and escalating use of the death penalty in Iran”.

Iranian athletes are being murdered by the state

The non-profit organisation Human Rights for Sport states more than 200 Iranian athletes have been executed since the January 2026 protests against the Iranian regime. More than 100 others are detained.

Coaches and referees have been identified among those killed during the crackdowns.

These politically motivated killings are exacerbated at times of major public unrest: in 2022, several high-profile athletes who supported the “woman, life, freedom” uprising were also targeted.

Now, Human Rights for Sport believes there are seven athletes currently detained who are at imminent risk of execution:

• Taraneh Rahimi, a 20-year-old equestrian athlete
• Maryam Hadavand Siri, a 42-year-old mountain climber
• Ali Pishe Varzadeh, a 28-year-old water polo player and swimmer
• Ehsan Khodadadi, a 31-year-old wrestler
• Ehsan Hosseinipour, a 19-year-old soccer player
• Benyamin Naghdi, a 26-year-old boxer
• Mohamad Javad Vafaei Sani, a 33-year-old boxer and coach.

Why athletes?

Athletes, especially wrestlers, enjoy national “Pahlevan” (a noble, cherished hero) status in Iran. But if the regime perceives a threat, it often targets athletes with physical and mental torture, imprisonment, seized assets, denial of work or study opportunities, and threats to family members. The aim: to demonstrate that social status offers no protection.

The regime uses a range of controls against athletes, with execution being the most extreme. Executing a champion sends the most powerful possible signal.

Deterrence through public and televised executions aims to both terrorise dissenters and appease the regime’s followers.

No separation between state and sport

When the Islamic Republic of Iran was established following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, athletes (both men and women) were initially promoted as symbols of national pride.

Sport’s growing popularity and profitability was quickly identified by Ayatollah Ruhollah Khomeini’s regime as a mechanism for social control.

Since then, human rights organisations have repeatedly raised serious concerns about torture, forced confessions, denial of legal rights, and fair-trial violations.

The leadership of key Iranian sport clubs and organisations have been taken over by political or security-military personnel, including current and former members of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC). Many countries, including the United States, Canada, Australia and members of the European Union, have listed the IRGC as a state sponsor of terrorism.

In 2022, the Asian Football Confederation (AFC) withdrew the licences of state-owned Iranian clubs to play in its Champions League until the clubs’ ownership was broadened. Yet, the president of Iran’s Football Federation, Mehdi Taj, a former member of the IRGC, remains an AFC vice-president.

Why aren’t sports bodies doing more?

The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is widely recognised as the global sports authority, with a mandate to protect the integrity of the Olympic movement and prevent athlete abuse and harassment.

Its Olympic Charter requires national Olympic committees to be independent and resist political pressure. Yet in Iran there is no separation between the state and sport.

The IOC could sanction Iran’s National Olympic Committee for political interference and the persecution of athletes. It has suspended Kuwait’s Olympic committee twice (in 2010 and 2015), India in 2012, and Guatemala in 2022 because of government interference.

It is unclear why the IOC has not responded similarly with Iran.

In March 2023, the IOC executive board “expressed serious concerns” for the fate of Iranian athletes. But, placated by Iranian assurances the Olympic Charter would be respected, no action beyond “monitoring” was taken.

The sports community has continued to demand the IOC and major international federations uphold their human rights commitments.

In December 2025, the Sport & Rights Alliance – a global coalition of human rights, labour rights and anti-corruption organisations – wrote to IOC President Kirsty Coventry. It requested an urgent intervention to protect Iranian athletes. But an IOC representative responded by stating

the IOC has chosen at this stage not to pursue further action beyond ongoing monitoring and engagement through the relevant Olympic stakeholders.

In March 2026, Global Athlete – an international, athlete-led advocacy movement – demanded the IOC and other international federations suspend Iran from international sport. Yet Iranian athletes continue to participate fully in Olympic- and international federation-sanctioned events, including the current Dakar Youth Olympic Games.

While it is true the IOC cannot directly prevent athletes being persecuted, it told us when approached for comment:

Situations like those of the Iranian athletes impacted by the events unfolding in their country – as for all athletes who face conflict and tragedies – are sadly increasing due to the divided world in which we live.

At the same time, the IOC is a sports organisation that focuses on being able to bring the world together in peaceful competition. The IOC, as a civil, non-governmental organisation, has neither the remit nor the ability to change the laws or political system of a sovereign country.

Small steps may lead to change

So, what can be done?

Governments and international sports bodies must apply their own human rights commitments to Iran, starting with:

• monitoring human rights violations, condemning athlete persecution and enforcing accountability measures

• establishing pathways for athletes at risk to safe countries, including via scholarships, visas and relocation programs

• supporting the right of Iranian athletes to compete and speak freely without fear of retaliation against themselves or their families

• making sport development funding conditional, including through annual public reporting on compliance with international human rights standards

• blocking international event bids and hosting rights

• excluding IRGC-linked officials from sport leadership roles, and travel and entry visas.

More international pressure, and strong human rights commitments from international sports bodies, may offer the greater protection for all athletes.