Request to Exclude Iran from the 2024 Paris Olympics Due to Discrimination Against Women in Sports

A group of Iranians abroad has requested the International Olympic Committee to exclude Iran from the 2024 Paris Olympics due to the government's discrimination against women in sports. Members of this group, including former world boxing champion of Iranian descent, Mahyar Manshipour, and Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shirin Ebadi, have urged the IOC to bar Iran from participating in the Paris Olympics. According to a report by AFP, Frédéric Thiriez, a lawyer, stated at a press conference that a letter sent to the IOC at the end of July indicated that Iran violates the Olympic Charter, which states that 'sport is a human right,' by not adhering to the rule of non-discrimination in sports. Mr. Thiriez mentioned that according to this charter, 'there should be no discrimination, particularly based on race, skin color, gender, sexual orientation, language, religion, political beliefs or other beliefs, national or social origin, property, birth or any other status.' He is currently working on a petition to 'refer it to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.' This letter is similar to a written request to exclude South Africa from the Olympics in 1970. Mr. Thiriez noted that the IOC has responded, 'Rest assured, we are closely monitoring the situation in Iran.' If the request to exclude Iran from the Paris Olympics is approved, the conditions for this group of Iranian athletes would be similar to those of female athletes who have been banned from certain sports such as wrestling, boxing, swimming, rowing, and others. Shirin Shirzad, a former wrestler who is a refugee in the Netherlands, stated via video conference, 'We usually practice our sport in our dreams.' Mahyar Manshipour also mentioned that in Iran, women 'train in apartments or basements.' Last month, two associations filed a complaint against Ghafour Kargari, the Iranian head of the 2024 Paralympic Committee, who was visiting France at the time, accusing him of torture and crimes against humanity. The killing of Mahsa Amini in September 2022 after her arrest by the morality police sparked widespread protests across Iran, which faced severe beatings and repression by the authorities of the Islamic Republic.