Six Years in Prison for Senior Bodybuilding Federation Official for Fraud

The Secretary of the Powerlifting Committee of the Bodybuilding Federation has been sentenced to six years in prison for fraud. According to the Mizan news agency, affiliated with the judiciary, the case of Alireza Shayan, the Secretary of the Powerlifting Committee, was sent to court last year after the charges were presented in a special branch for sports crimes of the Culture and Media Prosecutor's Office. Ultimately, the court has issued a six-year prison sentence for him. According to the report from the judiciary news agency, the Secretary of the Powerlifting Committee was arrested last year, and the investigation process has continued until now. Based on this report, he defrauded many sports figures and bodybuilders. This issue has been raised multiple times regarding some individuals active in this sport, ranging from distributing unauthorized and counterfeit drugs to purchasing international certificates, promising participation in overseas competitions, and obtaining coaching and club management licenses. The president of the Bodybuilding Federation stated: 'This incident occurred about a year ago, and the person who was arrested was named Shayan.' Nasser Pouralifard says: 'This individual also forged the federation's seal and letterhead and committed fraud with them.' Despite the financial corruption, forgery of letterhead, and fraud under the title of federation secretary, Pouralifard claims that his activities have not harmed the federation. The president of the Bodybuilding Federation told Mizan that as soon as we realized the issue, we quickly dismissed him, adding that he had a completely respectable appearance and we did not think he would do such a thing. Photos of Mr. Shayan and his statements as an official in the federation regarding competitions and delegations of the Powerlifting Committee are accessible on the federation's official website. Various national championship competitions from youth to adults, as well as international cooperation with Cyprus for participation in the country's Peace and Friendship Cup, are among Shayan's actions that have been recorded in the federation's website archive. Despite the issuance of the sentence, the bodybuilding federation's news base has refrained from any information regarding its imprisoned manager, the extent of damages incurred, or apologizing to the victims and families in this sport. The president of the bodybuilding federation has not explained what other factors, besides 'respectable appearance,' led to Alireza Shayan's employment in this federation. In recent months, news has emerged about the arrest of several high-ranking officials in various federations, including football, and ongoing investigations in judicial authorities. Alireza Shayan's prison sentence is the first instance of the financial cases in sports federations being resolved in recent months. No reaction from Mr. Shayan regarding the charges against him and his six-year sentence has been reflected in Iranian news agencies.