(TheIndependentStar.com) – In a positive move to protect Americans’ security and human rights in the country, Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn) urged the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to prevent Iran from participating in the upcoming Paris Olympics.
Blackburn expressed that Iran’s leadership, which she referred to as an “evil regime,” should not have the opportunity to showcase itself on the global stage.
She stated in a letter addressed to IOC President Thomas Bach that Iran “systematically victimizes its own citizens, particularly women and girls. Violence permeates every aspect of life for Iranian women.”
“Athletes are not immune from persecution in Iran. In fact, Iran has only one female Olympic medalist, Kimia Alizadeh,” she added. “This disparity is not due to a lack of talent. Rather, it is a direct result of the oppression and abuse female athletes in Iran face — the very oppression and abuse that forced Alizadeh to later defect.”
The IOC has previously banned countries from participating in the Paris Olympics, most recently Russia and Belarus in October due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine. Moreover, Russia had previously been excluded from competition due to a drug scandal that involved its contestants.
However, according to the IOC, Russian and Belarusian athletes will be allowed to participate in the games as “individual neutral athletes.” Blackburn requested the IOC to treat Iranian participants similarly.
She also emphasized that the evil Iranian regime should not gain any glory from the Games until they meet the standards of Olympism and grant all Iranian competitors, no matter gender or political persuasion the freedom to practice their sport without fear of persecution.
In 2016 the IOC approved the participation of other groups of independent competitors, which included a team of refugee athletes, mainly from South Sudan. Furthermore, a larger version of this team for the Tokyo Olympics in 2020 included multiple Iranian sports persons.
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