Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI)

Although Iran was represented in 1900 by a fencer, Prince Freydoun Malcolm Khan, it was only in 1947 that Iran formed a National Olympic Committee (NOC). Iran was granted International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognition on 20 June of the same year at the IOC session in Stockholm. Apart from boycotting the Olympics of 1980 and 1984, Iran has competed at every Olympic Games since it made its Olympic début as a team in 1948.

Most of Iran’s success has come in the strength or combative sports of weightlifting, wrestling, and taekwondo. Through 2022, it has won 76 Olympic medals (24 gold medals), all won at the Summer Olympics, with 47 medals won in wrestling, 20 won in weightlifting, and 6 in taekwondo. But 2012 saw the first Iranian medalist in track and field athletics, when Ehsan Haddadi won silver in men’s discus throw. At Tokyo 2020, two Iranian athletes won gold in two new sports: Javad Foroughi, in men’s air pistol shooting at 10 metres, and Sajad Ganjzadeh, in men’s karate kumite >75 kg class.

Three Iranian Olympians have won three medals: Hadi Saei (taekwondo), Mohammad Nassiri (weightlifting), and Gholam Reza Takhti (freestyle wrestling). Only two Iranians have won two gold medals: Saei and Hossein Reza Zadeh, the latter in super-heavyweight weightlifting in 2000 and 2004.

Iran first competed at the Olympic Winter Games in 1956, then participated from 1964-76, and finally has competed at every Winter celebration since 1998, for 12 appearances in all. Iran Winter Olympians have only competed in Alpine and cross-country skiing.

In 1956, the Olympic Committee of Iran was awarded with the Count Alberto Bonacossa Trophy.