Contributor
The United States has revoked the permanent residency of Alireza Dabir, the president of Iran’s Wrestling Federation and a staunch loyalist of Iran's Supreme Leader, a US government official told Iran International.
It was not immediately clear when the revocation took effect.
Dabir told Iran International in a telephone interview in October that he had “given back” his green card but declined to respond to requests for comment.
Wrestling is an ancient and widely celebrated sport in Iran.
The male-dominated theocracy has backed wrestling programs with generous state funding in support that has helped Iranian athletes secure numerous international titles and championships.
A gold medalist in freestyle wrestling at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and a former Tehran city council member, he has been a vocal supporter of Iran’s ruling establishment and its anti-Western rhetoric.
“We always chant ‘Death to America,’ but the important thing is showing it in action,” Dabir said in a 2022 interview with Iran’s state media. “Some people talk a lot but don’t do much. We need to prove it with action.”
Following the comments, the Biden administration denied entry to Dabir and several Iranian wrestlers who were due to compete in Texas.
'Enforcing gender apartheid'
Iran’s state-run Press TV quoted Dabir in January 2022 as saying he obtained the Green Card during the Sydney Olympics, “just like many other athletes,” believing he might study in the United States, but “never used it.”
Iranian-American activists have long opposed Dabir’s entry into the United States, citing his political loyalties and role in enforcing restrictions on women’s participation in sport.
“(Dabir) is not only enforcing gender apartheid in sport, banning women from most wrestling disciplines and forcing mandatory hijab in the few allowed formats like Alysh, but also stands accused of deep corruption and political cronyism,” said Lawdan Bazargan, director of advocacy group the Alliance Against Islamic Regime of Iran Apologists (AAIRIA).
Iran bans women from competing in wrestling, even as neighboring Muslim countries such as Turkey permit female participation.
Sardar Pashaei, a former Greco-Roman world champion and once head coach of Iran’s youth national team, wrote to the USA Wrestling’s executive director in 2022 urging US sports bodies to shun Iranian government-sponsored athletes.
“Refrain from inviting officials and athletes who are government propaganda tools that are anti-women and anti-American,” he wrote.
