“On its face, the statement is completely benign, and that’s precisely the point,” said Lawdan Bazargan, director of Alliance Against the Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA), a nonprofit made up of former Iranian political prisoners and their families. Wrestlers and bodybuilders are among the most popular sports heroes in the country, often with tens of thousands of followers on social media — a threat to the authority of the ruling mullahs, Bazargan said. A day after The Post published this story, the International Olympic Committee issued the following statement: “At this moment, we are particularly concerned about the situation of Iranian athletes impacted by the events unfolding in their country — as we are with all athletes who face conflict and tragedies elsewhere in the world.
Author: Isabel Vincent, Benjamin Weinthal
Published at: 2026-01-28 22:13:57
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