Known as a member of the Revolutionary Guards and Tokyo Olympic shooting gold medalist
Jin Jong-oh: "This Olympics, both the organizing committee and others did not prepare properly"
[Asia Economy Reporter Na Ye-eun] Shocking claims have emerged that Javad Foroughi (41, Iran), the Iranian shooting athlete who won the gold medal in the men's 10m air pistol at the '2020 Tokyo Olympics,' was a member of a terrorist organization.
Earlier, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) posted a congratulatory message on the 24th, saying, "Foroughi won the gold medal in the men's air pistol in his first Olympic appearance. Well done." Following this, Iranians claiming that Foroughi belonged to the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) of Iran poured out criticism.
Israel's Jerusalem Post reported the next day (25th), "Iran's shooting gold medalist Javad Foroughi (photo) was a member of the terrorist organization, the Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC)." The article also included a statement from the Iranian sports human rights group Navid Alliance.
The released Navid Alliance statement said, "This organization has a history of massacring civilians in Iran, Syria, Iraq, and Lebanon." It continued, "Earlier this year, we sent a letter to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) warning about the possibility of athletes from the IRGC participating, but the IOC took no action."
Foroughi himself admitted to having been part of the IRGC. In a broadcast last May, he stated, "I participated in the Syrian civil war as a member of the IRGC." However, when asked if he was a medic, he replied, "Yes," drawing a line by denying involvement in civilian massacres.
Jin Jong-oh, who competed in the Tokyo Olympics, returned home through Incheon International Airport Terminal 1 on the afternoon of the 28th and is giving an interview. Photo by Yonhap News.
Meanwhile, Jin Jong-oh, who competed in the same event at the Tokyo Olympics, also criticized Foroughi.
Returning through Incheon International Airport the day before (28th), Jin expressed dissatisfaction with the Olympic operation. In an agitated voice, he said, "You must have seen the news, but how can a terrorist come in first place? This is absurd," and raised his voice, "I think the organizing committee did not prepare properly for this Olympics."
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