Memphis Standard

NASHVILLE, Tenn. – U.S. Senator Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.) has raised concerns over Iran's participation in the Olympic Games in an op-ed published by OutKick. She questioned why a country accused of plotting to assassinate former President Donald Trump is allowed to compete in an event that celebrates international unity, cooperation, and peace.

"Should a country enjoy the honor of participating in the Olympic Games — long defined by its aspirations of fostering international unity, cooperation, and peace — while plotting the assassination of a former U.S. president?" Blackburn wrote.

During the Opening Ceremony of the Paris Summer Olympics, more than three dozen athletes carried Iran's banner. The International Olympic Committee (IOC) permitted this despite recent revelations from U.S. authorities about an Iranian plot to murder Trump, following a failed assassination attempt in Butler, Pennsylvania.

Blackburn noted that Iran has been implicated in multiple assassination plots against senior Trump administration officials, including former Secretary of State Mike Pompeo and National Security Advisor John Bolton. These incidents have led to federal charges against a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps.

The senator expressed shock at the IOC's decision to allow Iran's participation. She highlighted that the Olympic Charter aims to "promote a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity" and respect for "universal fundamental ethical principles."

"Even assassination plots aside," Blackburn stated, "there is no doubt that the ayatollahs in Tehran — whose regime systematically oppresses women and religious minorities and executes political dissidents — have struggled to uphold these principles."

She cited several cases where Iranian athletes faced persecution by their government: Navid Afkari was executed after being tortured into confessing to murder; rock climber Marjan Jangjou remains missing after allegedly participating in protests; and karate champion Mohammad Mehdi Karami was hanged for his alleged involvement in anti-regime demonstrations.

Blackburn also criticized Tehran for exporting violence across the region, attacking U.S. service members with drone strikes, and organizing Hamas’s attack on Israel on October 7.

When Blackburn pressed the IOC to exclude Iran from the Games due to these violations, she received a response stating that only Iran's National Olympic Committee—not its government—is bound by the charter and remains “in good standing with the IOC.”

The IOC argued that excluding Iran would unfairly penalize Iranian athletes who are not responsible for their government's actions. However, Blackburn pointed out that Russian athletes were allowed to compete under neutral flags after Russia was banned from participating due to its invasion of Ukraine.

She emphasized that many Iranian athletes already compete under alternative flags or as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. For instance, Kimia Alizadeh, Iran’s only female Olympic medalist, now competes for Bulgaria after fleeing her home country.

"When Kimia announced in 2020 that she fled Iran," Blackburn recalled, "the Olympian said that she was 'one of the millions of oppressed women in Iran' and could no longer 'sit at the table of hypocrisy, lies, injustice and flattery.'"

Blackburn concluded by urging the International Olympic Committee to follow Alizadeh’s example.