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More than twenty Olympic medal winners, coaches and other world-class competitors have signed a letter calling for a halt to the capital punishment of a champion boxer and trainer, who is facing execution in Iran.

Escalating International Outrage

During increasing international outrage over Iran’s expanding employment of executions as a instrument of oppression, the strongly worded appeal censures the authorities's decision to confirm the execution order of the athlete.

The boxer, three decades old, from Mashhad in north-east Iran, was arrested for participating in countrywide demonstrations in 2019 and charged of backing an opposition group. He has passed half a decade in detention, where he has been mistreated and kept in isolation.

“Sport is intended to promote hope, solidarity, and courage,” the signatories stated. “The execution of a titleholder for his beliefs is a blatant attack on these principles and a admonition to all sportspeople who ventures to speak out.

Pattern of Putting to Death Athletes

The statement said that Vafaei Sani’s circumstances was not an isolated one and underscored Iran’s past of executing competitors for their convictions, such as a national team leader, leader of the soccer squad, and a women's sports leader, leader of the female volleyball side. In 2020, Navid Afkari, a 27-year-old national wrestling champion, was also executed.

Other signatories to the appeal consist of a sailing champion, who captained the pioneering women's squad in a round-the-world competition and was the initial female to receive a prestigious nautical honor; the ex- captain of the national squad an athlete; and a sports figure, who was in the Iranian squad for the international competition.

Arrest and Unfair Trial

The athlete was detained in early 2020. The accusations against him included “promoting decay on Earth through fire-setting and ruin of state assets”. His sentence has been overturned twice but on October 4 it was confirmed on the third attempt. His court case was condemned as “grossly unfair” by advocates and groups.

Appeal to UN

The urging to stop the boxer's death sentence comes after a previous appeal to the UN high commissioner for rights, backed by over one hundred advocates and groups, demanding intervention to stop the athlete’s death.

Execution Crisis

Based on reports, there is an “execution crisis in the country, which has achieved shocking dimensions”. In 2023, the government put to death at least over 850 people – a nearly half surge on 2022. Last year, statistics showed nine hundred seventy-two executions, marking the peak figure since 2015. More than hundreds of people have been put to death so far in 2025.

Political prisoners and opponents are victims, notably in the aftermath of the 2022's demonstrations. Experts say the government have employed the death penalty to suppress opposition, generate fear among the public and reinforce their grip on authority.