Islamic Republic of Iran (IRI)

Although Iran was represented in 1900 by a fencer, Prince Firidun Malkom, 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. It has competed at the Olympic Winter Games of 1956, 1964, 1968, 1972, 1976, 1998, 2002, 2006, 2010, 2014, and 2018. All of Iran’s success has come in the strength or combative sports of weightlifting, wrestling, and taekwondo. Through 2012, it has won 69 Olympic medals (21 gold medals) with 43 medals won in wrestling, 19 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. Three Iranian Olympians have won three medals: Hadi Saei (TKW), Mohammad Nassiri (WLT), and Gholam Reza Takhti (WRE). Two Iranians have won two gold medals: Saei and Hossein Reza Zadeh in super-heavyweight weightlifting in 2000-04.

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