Olympians unite to speak out against Iran for the execution of the country's star athletes

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."

The letter includes a total of 24 athlete signees, including nine Olympians and five Iranians.