Governing Bodies
IOC VICE PRESIDENT RULES OUT OLYMPIC BAN ON IRAN FOLLOWING WRESTLER’S EXECUTION
The vice-president of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) has suggested Iran are unlikely to be banned despite growing calls for their expulsion following the execution of wrestling champion Navid Afkari.
John Coates, who is also the President of the Australian Olympic Committee, revealed he had spoken to IOC President Thomas Bach about the 27-year-old’s death yesterday, as reported by The Sydney Morning Herald.
According to Iranian state media, Afkari was executed on Saturday (September 12) after being given two death sentences for allegedly stabbing a security guard to death and his involvement in demonstrations against the country’s regime in 2018.
His execution led Global Athlete to call on the IOC and United World Wrestling to “immediately implement sanctions that expel Iran from world sport for this heinous execution”.
Last week, Brendan Schwab, executive director of the World Players Association, added that Afkari’s execution “must result in Iran forfeiting its right to be a part of sport’s universal community”.
It is understood Bach will address the possibility of sanctions against Iran at next month’s IOC Executive Board meeting but Coates, the Tokyo 2020 Coordination Commission head, said “the difficulty for us is this execution didn’t relate to a sporting event”.
“We talked about it last night in my regular meeting with the President,” said Coates, who was speaking at the relighting of the Olympic cauldron in commemoration of the 20th anniversary of the Opening Ceremony of Sydney 2000.
“The week previously he’d written to the supreme ruler, the President.
“We’d been part of other attempts.
“The difficulty for us is this execution didn’t relate to a sporting event.
“He was certainly a great athlete.
“And the other difficulty is of course that there is probably 50 of the National Olympic Committees that come from territories that still have capital punishment.
“We’ve been getting two sides to the story as to whether he got a fair go or didn’t get a fair go.”
Afkari claimed he was tortured into making a false confession while human rights groups and activists believe he was unjustly targeted by the Iranian authorities to intimidate others who might choose to participate in peaceful protests.
Coates added: “We’ve had difficulties with the Iranians before in them not participating or pulling out of competition.
“They didn’t participate against Israel and we’ve suspended them in respect of those sporting violations before.
“But this is a different situation.
“This is someone who has been charged with murder.
“There are different versions of what happened and different versions of whether he got a fair trial.”
A video has emerged on social media of what is claimed to be Afkari’s last conversation from jail.
In the video Afkari claimed he had been injured in 10 to 15 places and was hopeful he would not be executed as he understood he would be transferred to Tehran.
Afkari’s case has attracted global attention with United States President Donald Trump appealing for clemency.
Joe Biden, Trump’s Presidential rival for the upcoming elections, also joined the widespread outcry on Twitter, describing Afkari’s “cruel execution” as a “travesty”.
“No country should arrest, torture, or execute peaceful protesters or activists,” Biden’s tweet added.
“Iran must free its other political prisoners, including Nasrin Sotoudeh, and release unjustly detained Americans.”
A tweet from the official office of the Prime Minister of Israel read: “I send my deepest condolences to the family of wrestling champion #NavidAfkari.
“The monstrous Iranian regime that executed him committed terrible crimes against the Iranian people and the peoples of the region.
“The Iranian people deserve better.
“The Iranian people will do better.”
Insidethegames
Governing Bodies
FIFA opens disciplinary proceedings against Congo officials over financial misconduct
FIFA’s ethics committee launched disciplinary proceedings against three senior Congolese Football Federation (FECOFOOT) officials on Wednesday, including president Jean-Guy Mayolas, over allegations of financial misconduct.
Mayolas, his wife and his son were sentenced to life in prison earlier this month after a criminal court in the Congolese capital, Brazzaville, convicted them of embezzling $1.1 million in FIFA funds. Media reports said their whereabouts were not known , and they were tried in absentia.
FECOFOOT general secretary Wantete Badji and treasurer Raoul Kanda are also subject to the disciplinary proceedings, FIFA said. Badji and Kanda were sentenced to five years each in prison by the court in Brazzaville for related charges.
“These proceedings follow the receipt of information and documents during an audit,” FIFA said in a statement.
-Reuters
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The World Anti-Doping Agency is considering rewriting its rules to try barring President Donald Trump and all U.S. government officials from attending the LA Olympics in 2028, in a move that could also have implications for the World Cup being hosted by the U.S. this summer.
The proposal, on the agenda for next Tuesday’s meeting of the global drug-fighting watchdog’s executive committee, is the latest manoeuvre to come out of a yearslong refusal of the U.S. government to pay its annual dues to WADA.
The refusal is part of the American government’s unanimous, bipartisan protest of the agency’s handling of a case involving Chinese swimmers and other issues.
The Associated Press learned of the agenda item through correspondence it obtained between WADA and European officials involved in the agency’s decision-making. Two others with knowledge of the agenda confirmed the existence of the rules proposal to AP; they were not authorised to speak publicly about the agenda, which has not been released publicly.
The proposal was, in fact, first brought up in 2024, when U.S. authorities successfully lobbied for its rejection. The U.S. has since lost its seat on the executive committee.
“In spite of WADA’s increasing threats, we continue to stand firm in our demand for accountability and transparency from WADA to ensure fair competition in sport,” said Sara Carter, the director of the U.S. Office of National Drug Control Policy (ONDCP).
The rule, if passed, would figure to be mostly symbolic, given the limits an international sports federation could have on the president of a country attending an event inside his own borders.
“I have never heard of a $50-million-budget Swiss foundation being able to enforce a rule to, for example, prevent the United States president from going anywhere,” said Carter’s predecessor at ONDCP, Rahul Gupta, who was on the WADA executive committee two years ago and led the movement to reject the proposal. “And the next question you have to ask is: How are you going to enforce it? Are they going to post a red notice from Interpol? It’s ludicrous. It’s clear they have not thought this through.”
In a news release after this story published, WADA said the AP story was “entirely misleading,” focusing on Fitzgerald’s statement to the AP that if proposals being discussed were “introduced, given that the rules would not apply retroactively, the FIFA World Cup, LA and Salt Lake City Games (in 2034) would not be covered.”
Fitzgerald’s only answer to three emails from AP seeking clarification on his initial response — specifically about how a rule that had not yet been adopted could or couldn’t be applied retroactively on events that are scheduled for the future — was: “I’m trying to say that it would not apply retroactively so those events would not be covered. Given that and the next meeting of the Board being scheduled for November, I don’t see how it could come into play for this year’s World Cup.”
-AP
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The Confederation of African Football has dismissed Yasin Osman Robleh, the Djiboutian official who headed its judicial bodies for the past six years, in a move aimed at restoring confidence in the organisation’s disciplinary processes.
According to reports from convergence sources, the decision was confirmed on Saturday by CAF Secretary General Veron Mosengo-Omba, bringing an abrupt end to Robleh’s tenure overseeing the confederation’s disciplinary and investigative committees since 2019.
Robleh’s position reportedly came under increasing pressure following the controversy surrounding sanctions imposed after the Africa Cup of Nations Final between Morocco and Senegal. The disciplinary decisions that followed the match sparked criticism from several quarters and placed CAF’s legal framework under intense scrutiny.
In response to the situation, CAF’s Executive Committee has appointed Togolese lawyer Cedric Egai, currently the confederation’s Director of Legal Affairs, as interim head of the judicial bodies.
Egai is expected to stabilise the organisation’s legal arm while CAF works toward appointing a permanent successor to Robleh.
Disciplinary Decisions Delayed
The leadership change has already affected ongoing disciplinary processes within the confederation. CAF’s disciplinary committee reportedly held hearings last Thursday on several cases, including the high-profile encounter involving Egypt’s Al Ahly and Morocco’s AS FAR.
However, decisions on those matters have been temporarily put on hold pending the confirmation of new leadership within the judicial structure.
Sources indicate that once a permanent successor is appointed, CAF will move swiftly to conclude outstanding disciplinary rulings affecting both clubs and national teams.
Restoring Confidence
The move is widely seen as part of CAF’s effort to restore confidence in its judicial system following weeks of controversy surrounding disciplinary decisions at major competitions.
Robleh’s departure closes a significant chapter in CAF’s legal administration, while Egai’s interim appointment signals a potential shift in leadership and governance at a critical time for African football.
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