Sigi's tips: Navid Afkari must remain unforgotten

Sigi Heinrich

Of course there was a lot going on in the last few days. Austrian Dominik Thiem won the US Open against Alexander Zverev in an epic duel. At the Tour de France there is a Slovenian party with Roglic and Pogacar. The Brit Hamilton dominates Formula 1 at will. Even athletics fans got their money's worth at the ISTAF in Berlin. And the DFB Cup has also started. As I said: a lot going on. Perhaps the news about Navid Afkari was only prominent in the media for one day. Just a reminder so that it gets burned into our heads a little. The 27-year-old wrestler, who had taken part in several international competitions, was executed on September 12th. He was hanged under the law of retaliation. He is said to have killed a security officer at a demonstration in 2018. It is widely assumed that the confession came about under torture. The family demanded the death penalty. It has been executed. Secretly. At night in the darkness, Navid Afkari's life was snuffed out. Powerless world sport All major sports organizations watched helplessly. Sentenced to powerlessness because the unjust regime in Iran doesn't give a damn about input from international organizations. The “Global Athlete” association is calling for sanctions. Who does not? But which ones are possible? Iran would be hit hardest by exclusion from the 2021 Olympic Games in Tokyo. But such a decision is unthinkable because the current IOC president is wary of a conflict of this magnitude. He prefers to refer to the sovereignty of the member states of the International Olympic Committee. And thus becomes a toothless tiger, which also has sharpened claws, as if it had just had a manicure. And such a boycott would unfortunately hit the very people we are fighting for: the athletes, many of whom are critical of the system in Iran. The main thing is that the ball rolls So where is world sport when it is needed? Even needed to protect lives, to save lives. He hides or colludes with those in power for his own benefit in order to emphasize his supposed importance. Unfortunately, that has always been the case and has not changed. Think of the Football World Cup in Argentina in 1978. At that time, Joao Havelange from Brazil was the president of the International Football Association (FIFA). The game was played in stadiums where thousands had previously been executed. The German Football Association (DFB), with its then president Hermann Neuberger, also didn't cut a good figure back then. It was actually a disgrace to even run in a military dictatorship that simply threw dissidents out of the plane. The main thing is that the ball rolls, saturated with the blood of the demonstrators. During the closing ceremony of the Winter Olympics in Sochi, Putin annexed Crimea. Bach stood obediently next to the Russian president and was nothing more than a decorative accessory for his propaganda. The many protests against what are probably very borderline working conditions in Qatar have not led FIFA to take any action recently. Just don't offend. Play along well until death by hanging.

World sport, with all its various associations and institutions, has probably never had any real meaning or political dimension. He has repeatedly missed the opportunity to do so, as was the case recently with Navid Afkari. I want and I hope that he will not be forgotten. He had the heart of an athlete. He was brave, and not just on the wrestling mat. This should give us all strength to face the injustice of this world with courage. Afkari even lost his life because of it.

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Sigi's tips: Navid Afkari must remain unforgotten

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