Iran is seeking to execute a decorated Iranian wrestler for merely peacefully protesting against the regime in early January, prompting the U.S. State Department on Wednesday to demand that Tehran overturn the death penalty for 19-year-old Saleh Mohammadi.  

Wrestling is a national pastime in Iran and a sport liked by President Donald Trump, who sought to save the life of champion Iranian Greco-Roman wrestler Navid Afkari in 2020. The clerical regime in Iran executed Afkari for his 2018 role in a demonstration against the economic and political corruption of the theocratic state.

According to the official X account for the State Department in Farsi, a post on Wednesday read: “The United States is deeply concerned by reports that 19-year-old wrestling champion Saleh Mohammadi is facing imminent execution. The regime of the Islamic Republic of Iran is massacring young people and destroying Iran’s future. We call on the Iranian regime to halt the execution of Saleh Mohammadi and all those sentenced to death for exercising their fundamental rights.  #SalehMohammadi #StopExecutionsInIran #HumanRights #IranProtest.”

The Iranian American, Sardar Pashaei, who won a Greco-Roman wrestling world championship title for Iran and coached the country’s elite Greco-Roman team, told Fox News Digital, “In less than 10 days, the Iranian regime shot dead more than 30 athletes across the country. The youngest was just 15 years old. The victims included youth athletes, national champions, coaches and international referees. Every one of them was killed by gunfire.”

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He added that his organization, Hiwa, “has documented only confirmed cases. Many more athletes remain missing, imprisoned, or at risk of torture and execution, while families across Iran continue searching for loved ones with no answers or justice.” He praised the State Department’s actions in publicly calling for Saleh Mohammadi’s release.

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Pashaei continued, “A regime that jails, tortures and murders its own athletes has no place in the international sporting community. Sport must never be used to whitewash blood. Hiwa is preparing an official letter demanding that the International Olympic Committee and United World Wrestling suspend and ban Iran from all international competitions.”

Security forces for the Islamic Republic seized Olympic wrestler Alireza Nejati, who has won medals in world championships, after he posted a social media message to his more than 78,000 Instagram followers. The regime imprisoned Nejati and reportedly tortured him.

“I wish everyone a beautiful weekend full of success and good vibes,” the 27-year-old Greco-Roman wrestling champion wrote on Jan. 7. He concluded his message with, “This is the end.”

Fox News Digital sent email press queries and conducted telephone calls to the UWW.

An IOC spokesperson told Fox News Digital that, “Sadly, today’s world is divided and full of conflicts and tragedies. The IOC cares deeply about the situation of athletes all around the globe and is concerned every time it learns of individual cases of mistreatment. At this moment in time, 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. Unfortunately, these situations are more regularly brought to our attention due to the increasingly divided world in which we live.”

The spokesperson continued, “The IOC is a sports organization whose remit and success is based on bringing the world together in peaceful competition. We have to be realistic about the IOC’s ability to directly influence global and national affairs. At the same time, we will continue to work with our Olympic stakeholders to help where we can, often through quiet sport diplomacy. The IOC remains in touch with the Olympic community from Iran.”

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Foreign Desk editor-in-chief, Lisa Daftari, who is a leading expert on Iran, told Fox News Digital, “Saleh Mohammadi is a 19‑year‑old athlete whose only ‘crime’ was to stand with his people, yet he now faces an imminent death sentence designed to make an example out of him and terrify an entire nation. His imminent execution would not be justice, it would be a warning shot at every young Iranian who dares dream of freedom — and the world’s response will show protesters whether they are truly alone or not.”

She added, “By threatening to kill its youth — its athletes, artists, musicians and brightest minds — the regime is making clear that it does not see the Iranian people as its future, but as a threat to be silenced.”

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Fox News Digital reached out to the U.S. State Department for a comment.

Jordan Chiles might be able to keep the bronze medal she won, then was stripped of, at the 2024 Paris Olympics after all.

On Jan. 23, Swiss Federal Supreme Court sent the U.S. gymnast’s case back to the Court of Arbitration for Sport to re-examine the matter “on the basis of an audio-visual recording” that could provide evidence in Chiles’ favor, the court said Thursday in a news release.

“The Federal Supreme Court acknowledged that this new evidence may justify a modification of the contested award,” Switzerland’s highest court stated. “It referred the case back to the CAS for it to re-examine the situation, taking this new evidence into account.”

Chiles initially was deemed the fifth-place finisher in the women’s floor exercise final on Aug. 5, 2024, but was bumped up to third place after a judging inquiry placed by U.S. coach Cecile Landi gave Chiles an extra tenth of a point.

The decision resulted in a viral moment on the medal stand, as Chiles and U.S. teammate and silver medalist Simone Biles bowed to gold medalist Rebeca Andrade of Brazil.

Days later, however, the CAS ruled that Landi’s inquiry was registered four seconds too late and that Chiles’ original score of 13.666 should be restored. That decision knocked the UCLA star back down to fifth place.

Chiles, with the support of the United States Olympic and Paralympic Committee and USA Gymnastics, filed an appeal of that ruling with Switzerland’s Supreme Court in September 2024. Her appeal maintains that the CAS had refused to allow video evidence she feels would show that Landi’s inquiry was filed within the required time frame.

In its Thursday statement, the Swiss court acknowledged that the video could “lead to a modification of the contested award in favour of the applicants, since the CAS could consider, in the light of this audio-visual sequence, that the verbal inquiry made on behalf of Jordan Chiles had been made before the expiry of the regulatory one-minute time limit.

“The Federal Supreme Court therefore partially overturns the contested award and refers the case back to the CAS for a new ruling, taking into account the probative value of the audio-visual recording in question.”

In a statement emailed to The Times on Thursday, the CAS agreed with the Swiss court’s ruling that “new evidence provided by the athlete after the CAS decision justifies a re-examination of the appeal.”

“During the Olympic Games, CAS renders sporting decisions in a demanding time frame,” the statement read. “CAS cannot reopen a closed procedure without the agreement of all Parties. Following the [Swiss Supreme Court’s] decision, CAS can now ensure a thorough judicial review of the new evidence that has since been made available.”

Maurice M. Suh, one of the attorneys representing Chiles, issued a statement Thursday praising the decision.

“We are delighted that the Swiss Federal Supreme Court has righted a wrong and given Jordan the chance she deserves to reclaim her bronze medal,” Suh said. “… We appreciate that Jordan will receive a full and fair opportunity to defend her bronze medal. She is ready to fight vigorously, and we look forward to helping her achieve that result.”

The reports that former New England Patriots coach Bill Belichick would not be enshrined into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, in August sparked strong reactions across the sports world.

Belichick, who won two Super Bowl rings as an assistant before coaching the Patriots to six titles, fell short of the Hall of Fame’s 50-vote threshold. Long presumed a first-ballot Hall of Famer, Belichick’s omission raised questions about how the votes fell.

Bill Polian, a former Indianapolis Colts general manager and Hall of Fame inductee, found himself at the center of much of the debate.

Polian initially said he cast a vote in favor of the North Carolina football coach, before saying he could not say with 100% certainty whether he did. In his latest attempt to clear the air, Polian said he did check the box next to Belichick’s name.

“I voted for coach Belichick in the Hall of Fame selection meeting,” Polian said on SiriusXM NFL Radio on Wednesday as he read a prepared statement.

“The Pro Football Hall of Fame has confirmed that fact through the auditors of the selection process. Again, I’ll state that I never said that I believe that Coach Belichick should quote, wait a year, close quote, for enshrinement. This has been confirmed by the Pro Football Hall of Fame, numerous selectors who were in the room, and my vote for coach Belichick.”

Polian said he has always aimed to be objective in his voting.

“As a Hall of Fame member and selector, I realize the import of what we do. I’ve always tried as a selector to make these difficult choices with the utmost of objectivity. I’ve said on SiriusXM Radio and numerous other media outlets that I believe Coach Belichick to be a first-ballot Hall of Famer, my vote confirms that.”

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Polian referenced an ESPN report, citing sources who told the outlet the Super Bowl-winning general manager was one of the voters who told others Belichick should “wait a year” before induction. In addition to Wednesday’s statement, Polian also told Sports Illustrated that the accusations were “totally and categorically untrue.”

“I was shocked to learn Bill didn’t get in. He deserves to be in the Hall of Fame,” Polian told ESPN.

ESPN reported that Belichick was “puzzled” and “disappointed” when he learned he was not accepted this year and wondered what more he had to do as a head coach to get in immediately.

This year — and for the first time — Longtime Patriots owner Robert Kraft was also a hall of fame finalist. It is unclear whether Kraft or any other finalist were elected into the 2026 class.

Fox News’ Ryan Morik contributed to this report.

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