The latest controversy of the Olympics comes after an Iranian gold medallist, Javad Foroughi, is revealed to be a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) militia that is involved in brutal crackdowns of Iranians, as well as funding, training and arming terrorist groups across the region.
In an interview with the IRGC-affiliated Tasnim News Agency after his win, Foroughi claimed that he had served in Syria as a “nurse” from 2013 to 2015. Foroughi and another militia member speak about their deployment to Syria and Lebanon and reveal that they were stationed in Khan Tuman and Damascus even before the arrival of Islamic State group.
Activists on social media have also accused Foroughi of practicing marksmanship on “live targets”. Others have posted a famous 2009 photo of a militia sniper on the roof of a building in Iran whose resemblance to Foroughi is striking.
The Korean marksman Jin Jong-oh has criticized the International Olympic Committee for allowing a member of Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps to compete and win a gold medal in the 10-meter air pistol event, saying: “How can a terrorist win first place? That’s the most absurd and ridiculous thing.”
In comments reported by the Korea Times, the six-times Olympic medallist added it was “pure nonsense” to allow Javad Foroughi to compete in the Tokyo Games given his membership in a militia of the IRGC, which was labeled a terrorist organization by the US in 2019.
The “United for Navid” group has called on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) to open an ethics investigation and to suspend the Tokyo Olympics title won by Javad Foroughi in men’s 10-meter air pistol.
The IOC has challenged campaigners to show proof that an Iranian gold medalist shooter is a member of the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.
Source: Free Press Journal | Al Arabiya | The Guardian
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