On Thursday, the Iranian regime executed Saleh Mohammadi – a 19-year-old national wrestling champion – hanging him alongside two other protesters, Mehdi Ghasemi and Saeed Davoudi, at Qom Central Prison.
The charge against the young man was reportedly “enmity against God,” stemming from his participation in the January protests that have now shaken the Khamenei regime throughout 2026.
The executions have caused international outrage.
Mohammadi had earned a bronze medal in September 2024 at the Saytiyev International Cup in Russia, competing for Iran’s national freestyle wrestling team. He was 18 years old at the time. The Hengaw human rights organization posted wrestling footage he had shared publicly on social media – documentation of a young man devoted to his sport – alongside confirmation of his secretive execution.
Nima Far, a human rights activist who has studied Iran’s wrestling community, responded to the execution. He described the killing as a “blatant political murder,” part of a deliberate pattern by the Islamic Republic of targeting athletes to suppress dissent – one Far says mirrors the earlier execution of wrestler Navid Afkari, who was put to death in 2020 despite a global outcry.
“Iran must be banned from international competitions until it halts executions of protesters and athletes, releases those jailed in sham trials, and ends retaliation against competitors who speak out or defect…This is a defining moment for global sports institutions,” Far wrote in a post to X, “Act now. Suspend Iran. Impose real consequences. Stand for the athletes you claim to protect.”
Far specifically called on the International Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling to move beyond statements and issue public ultimatums, threatening the suspension of Iran’s National Olympic Committee if these senseless executions continue. “Quiet diplomacy,” he argued, has proved ineffective.
Sardar Pashaei, a Greco-Roman world championship titleholder who also served as a national team coach before leaving Iran, told reporters he had been in contact with one of Iran’s current wrestling coaches before the execution of Mohammadi. “Before the internet was shut down, I spoke with one of Iran’s national wrestling team coaches. He warned me that Saleh’s case was critical. We were both deeply worried. This regime is built on executions and hatred. It does not change,” Parshaei said.
Further concerns have arisen for athletes still in the country or those who may be returning to Iran from foreign competitions.
Tensions in Iranian Sports
Such concerns resonate with a story The Dallas Express has been following closely. Earlier this month, members of Iran’s women’s national soccer team sought asylum in Australia following the Women’s Asian Cup, after several players were seen flashing what appeared to be SOS signals on their phones before being pressured to board flights back to Iran.
Five of the seven players who initially accepted humanitarian visas ultimately returned to Iran, with the regime’s controlled state media celebrating each flight back as a political victory.
Two of those players – Fatemeh Pasandideh and Atefeh Ramezanisadeh – held their ground in Australia and were welcomed this week to Brisbane Roar FC’s training facilities, posing in the team’s jerseys without hijabs and posting messages of gratitude for the opportunity to train with the women’s pro club, as The Dallas Express reported at the time.
The Iranian men’s national soccer team has also withdrawn from the 2026 FIFA World Cup entirely, as previously reported by DX. That withdrawal forfeits roughly $10.5 million in prize money and preparation funds for their regime.
