A member of Iran’s Under 23 Wrestling national team, detained for a few days during mid-November anti-regime protests, has emigrated to Canada and will represent his new residence in future championships.
The 23-year-old Bronze-medalist in 74 kg category in the 2018 World U23 Wrestling Championship in Bucharest, Romania, has sought asylum in Canada, according to the state-run Iran Students News Agency (ISNA).
Navid Zanganeh left Iran twenty days ago and soon will represent Canada in a wrestling tournament. The young wrestler is yet to react to the development
On November 26, a week after the Special Units forces supported by the members of the Islamic Revolution Guards Corps brutally suppressed anti-establishment protests in 28 out of 31 provinces of Iran; reports disclosed that the Islamic Republic intelligence agents had detained Zanganeh.
The exact date of Zanganeh’s detention is not clear, but reports say that he was shot by a pellet and taken to a hospital, where he was arrested and kept for a few days.
Immediately after his release, Zanganeh’s club, Atrak Khorasan, unilaterally canceled its contract with him and deprived him of competing in the World Cup Club championships.