Sport

Iranwire – Mohammad Javad Vafaei Sani, a political prisoner and former boxing champion held in Mashhad’s Vakilabad prison, has been sentenced to death for the third time, his lawyer, Babak Paknia, announced. “Despite the Supreme Court’s overturning of the previous verdict, the majority opinion of the investigative judges (consultants to the Branch 3 of the Mashhad Revolutionary Court), in opposition …

iranintl – Amid the two countries’ shadow war, Iran’s Supreme Leader has once again reaffirmed his ban on competing against Israeli athletes, but offered incentives through compensation to ensure compliance. In a Tuesday address to the country’s Olympic and Paralympic teams, Khamenei called on officials to compensate athletes who withdraw from matches against Israel, describing it as a “sacrifice” for …

Iran-HRM – In the early morning of Wednesday, September 11, 2024, the death sentence of Morteza Yousefi, a 41-year-old prisoner from Sangtajen village in Nowshahr, was carried out in Nowshahr Central Prison. According to reports received by the Iran Human Rights Monitor (IranHRM), Morteza Yousefi was a graduate in physical education and a former champion of Iranian wrestling. He was …

Iranwire – Iran has overturned the death sentence initially handed down to a football coach accused of sexually harassing multiple teenage students. The Islamic Republic’s judicial system has revised the sentence to lashing and exile. The case began in 2021 when a father approached the police with his teenage son, filing a complaint of sexual harassment against the boy’s football …

Iranwire – Isa Golmohammadi, the spokesman for Iran’s boxing federation, was murdered and found dead in his private garden in the Robat Karim district of Tehran. “My father was shot 11 times and suffered five stab wounds,” his son told Tasnim news agency. The motivation behind the murder remains unclear, and aspects of the case are currently under investigation by …

Iranwire – The Islamic Republic’s authorities dismissed a member of Iran’s national bodybuilding team after he presented his championship medal to his girlfriend. Reza Hajjar, Iran’s bodybuilding champion, revealed in a video message that he was removed from the national team due to his use of the term “girlfriend.” As a result, he now has to fund his international trips …

Iranwire – Mobina Nematzadeh, a 19-year-old Iranian taekwondo player, clinched a bronze medal in the women’s taekwondo competition at the 2024 Paris Olympics on Wednesday. Nematzadeh secured third place in the minus 49 kg category by defeating her Saudi opponent. She dominated the first round with a 3-0 victory, and secured the bronze with a 4-2 advantage in the second …

Iranwire – Tehran’s Persepolis FC officially announced a full agreement and initial contract with Spanish coach Juan Carlos Garrido to become the team’s head coach.  Garrido, a coach with a mixed record, unexpectedly replaced the club’s primary choice, Dutch coach John van ‘t Schip. However, Persepolis has not yet finalized the contract with Garrido.  Iranian media reported that the Overseas …

Iranwire – Hossein Hosseini, Esteghlal FC’s top-performing goalkeeper, faces an unexpected departure from the club due to growing security pressures in Iranian football. The Iranian news website Tabnak reports that Hosseini’s exit stems not from his performance or financial issues, but from an April incident involving a female fan. During a match, a woman without a hijab breached security and …

Iranwire – The United States has voiced concerns over reports of violent confrontations between supporters of the Islamic Republic and protesters demonstrating outside Iranian embassies and venues in recent days. Tensions flared last Friday in London during a memorial ceremony for late President Ebrahim Raisi.  A group of pro-Islamic Republic supporters attacked protesters gathered outside the venue, injuring four people. …