The International Olympic Committee has responded to the execution of 19-year-old Iranian freestyle wrestler Saleh Mohammadi, condemned by multiple Olympic champions and U.S. officials.
Mohammadi was publicly hanged Thursday, according to Iranian human rights activists, after being accused of killing two police officers during nationwide protests earlier this year. He had won bronze at the 2024 Saytiyev International Cup in Krasnoyarsk, Russia, and once expressed his dream of becoming an Olympic champion.
In a statement, the IOC said it is “concerned every time it learns of individual cases of mistreatment” but emphasized its limited ability to intervene in sovereign nations’ affairs. “The IOC is a sports organization whose remit and success is based on bringing the world together in peaceful competition,” it noted, adding it remains in contact with Iran’s Olympic community through “quiet sports diplomacy.”
Former U.S. President Donald Trump called the Iranian regime “thugs and animals” for executing Mohammadi and two others. American gold medalists Brandon Slay, Tyler Clary, and Kaillie Humphries also voiced outrage, with Slay offering prayers for Mohammadi’s family and Clary endorsing Trump’s hardline stance on Iran.