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Over two dozen Olympic medal winners, coaches and further global sports figures have signed a statement calling for a halt to the execution of a boxing champion and instructor, who is on death row in Iran.

Escalating International Outrage

Amid increasing worldwide anger over the nation's expanding employment of the death penalty as a means of oppression, the forcefully phrased statement condemns the authorities's decision to uphold the capital punishment of the boxing champion.

The boxer, thirty, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was taken into custody for taking part in national uprisings in 2019 and indicted of supporting an dissident organization. He has passed five years in incarceration, where he has been abused and confined in seclusion.

“Competition is designed to encourage faith, solidarity, and bravery,” the signatories expressed. “The capital punishment of a titleholder for his political views is a direct assault on these ideals and a caution to all sportspeople who attempts to express dissent.

History of Executing Athletes

The appeal noted that Vafaei Sani’s case was not unique and emphasized the country's history of executing athletes for their beliefs, including Habib Khabiri, leader of the soccer squad, and a volleyball captain, leader of the national women’s volleyball team. In 2020, a wrestling champion, a 27-year Iranian competitor, was put to death.

Other signatories to the appeal include a yachting pioneer, who captained the pioneering female-only team in a global yacht race and was the initial female to be awarded a prestigious yachting trophy; the former skipper of the national squad Craig Foster; and a footballer, who was in the national team for the 1978 World Cup.

Arrest and Unjust Proceedings

The boxer was taken into custody in the spring of 2020. The allegations against him entailed “spreading corruption on Earth through incendiarism and destruction of government belongings”. His verdict has been annulled on two occasions but on 4 October it was maintained on the third occasion. His trial was criticized as “grossly unfair” by advocates and organizations.

Appeal to UN

The urging to prevent Vafaei Sani’s execution comes after a 2023 appeal to the global human rights chief for rights, backed by more than one hundred rights specialists and groups, urging measures to stop the competitor's death.

Death Penalty Surge

According to findings, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has reached alarming levels”. In the year 2023, authorities sentenced at least 853 people – a nearly half increase on the previous year. The year before, records showed nearly a thousand deaths, constituting the peak figure since 2015. Over eight hundred people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Dissidents and dissidents are victims, particularly in the aftermath of the 2022 demonstrations. Analysts say the Iranian authorities have employed the executions to quell protest, instil anxiety among the population and strengthen their control on power.