The committee sent a formal letter demanding an investigation into “grave violations of the Olympic Truce and acts of aggression” that targeted Iran’s sports community and facilities.

The letter urges global sports authorities to act in line with the principles of peace, human dignity, and protection of athletes enshrined in the Olympic Charter, and to hold Washington and the Israeli regime accountable for attacks that have devastated Iranian athletes and sporting institutions.

Addressed to James Macleod of the International Olympic Committee and Husain Al‑Musallam, director general of the Olympic Council of Asia, the letter states that the attacks occurred during the Olympic Truce period, which is meant to symbolize a global commitment to peace and protection for athletes.

The Iranian committee condemned brutal military assaults carried out by the United States and the Israeli regime, which have caused devastating civilian casualties and struck directly at the country’s sports community.

The letter said that alongside the “irreparable and heartbreaking loss” of Iran’s Leader and the deaths of numerous civilians, including 165 victims killed in the bombing of a girls’ elementary school in Minab, one of the most shocking incidents was an attack on a sports hall in southern Iran.

According to multiple reports cited in the letter, the strike killed 20 teenage girls who were volleyball players training inside the facility at the time.

The committee said the deaths of these young athletes had “deeply shaken our Olympic community” and left an irreplaceable human tragedy for their families, teammates and the wider world of sport.

Iran’s Olympic body also mourned the martyrdom of wrestler Mehdi Abdollahnejad from Alborz Province, who was killed in the attacks.

Among the victims, the letter also highlighted the martyrdom of the head of the Ethics Commission of Iran’s National Olympic Committee, describing him as “a wise and committed manager who devoted his life to strengthening integrity, transparency and good governance within the Olympic movement in Iran.”

Meanwhile, the committee said the country is currently in a critical wartime situation that makes it difficult to fully verify and document the number of casualties among athletes and sports officials.

It warned that existing figures may not yet reflect the full scale of losses inflicted on Iran’s sporting community.

The letter stressed that the Olympic Charter explicitly supports the protection of human dignity and the promotion of peace through sport, adding that the killing and injury of athletes during the Olympic Truce represents a direct violation of these principles.

It said the “severe and savage attacks” not only killed members of Iran’s sporting community but also caused major damage to national sports infrastructure, including the headquarters of the National Olympic Committee of Iran, the National Olympic Academy, the national handball federation and a wrestling training camp.

Separately, the committee said the continuation of military operations during the Olympic Truce represents a blatant breach of the fundamental principles of the Olympic Charter.

It added that the attacks had also prevented an Iranian Paralympic athlete from participating in the 2026 Winter Paralympics scheduled to be held in Milan–Cortina.

The Iranian Olympic Committee called on the IOC and the Olympic Council of Asia to reaffirm the message of peace associated with the Olympic Truce and to take action against the United States and the Israeli regime to protect athletes and sports organizations from the consequences of armed conflict.

“Even in these difficult and sorrowful moments, we remain committed to the values of peace, respect and solidarity that define the Olympic movement,” the letter said.

“Sport must remain a bridge between nations, not a victim of military aggression,” it emphasized. 

The letter was signed by Mehdi Alinajad, secretary general of the National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran, and dated March 3, 2026.