The Bombing of Iran’s Azadi Stadium Is Straight Out of Israel’s Gaza Script
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The Bombing of Iran’s Azadi Stadium Is Straight Out of Israel’s Gaza Script
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World
/ March 11, 2026
The Bombing of Iran’s Azadi Stadium Is Straight Out of Israel’s Gaza Script
Israel has long targeted sport facilities and athletes in Gaza. Now with US help, it’s doing the same thing in Iran.
Dave Zirin
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A US-Israeli strike hit Tehran’s Azadi Sport Complex on March 5, 2026.
(AFP via Getty Images)
The Israeli state’s genocidal assault against the people of Gaza now appears to be the first installment in an ongoing series. The next episode is what the United States and Israel are doing to Lebanon and Iran. It’s not just the relentless bombings and missile launches with little regard for civilian life that’s so reminiscent of the war on Gaza. It’s not just the slaughtering of children followed by easily debunked denials. (The casual mendacity of both governments is jaw-dropping.) It’s not the assassinations of governmental and religious leaders. It’s the attempt to kill hope.
A source of hope and joy in Iran—as in Palestine—has always been organized sports. In Iran, soccer, wrestling (where Iran has achieved global acclaim), and volleyball are three of the main sporting ventures in which Iran competes internationally. Yet it’s difficult to play—and by extension impossible for a child to have dreams of athletic glory—when the sports infrastructure is destroyed. As I’ve pointed out for over a decade, Israel has long targeted sport facilities and athletes in Gaza. The logic is that if you kill the joy that comes with leisure pursuits and extracurricular activities, you kill the will to resist.
In yet another echo of Gaza, on March 5, one of the first bombing targets in Iran was the historic Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran. Perhaps the most iconic sports facility in the Middle East, Azadi has played host to many of the most storied moments in Iranian athletic history, including a 1998 World Cup qualifier match against Australia played in front of 128,000 people. The Azadi indoor facility, which holds 12,000 and is a central locale for basketball, martial arts, and volleyball, is now a smoldering husk.
Azadi had been a tourist attraction and the site for countless national and international soccer matches, not to mention the setting for Iran’s 2025 victory that clinched an appearance in this year’s World Cup, although their scheduled matches now do not seem likely to occur.
The stadium was held in high enough international regard that it was the centerpiece of Iran’s bid to host the 1984 Olympics. (A bid that was scuttled after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.) Alireza Sohrabian, president of Iran’s Rowing Federation, said, “The destruction of sports, …
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The Bombing of Iran’s Azadi Stadium Is Straight Out of Israel’s Gaza Script
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Current Issue
World
/ March 11, 2026
The Bombing of Iran’s Azadi Stadium Is Straight Out of Israel’s Gaza Script
Israel has long targeted sport facilities and athletes in Gaza. Now with US help, it’s doing the same thing in Iran.
Dave Zirin
Share
Copy Link
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Ad Policy
A US-Israeli strike hit Tehran’s Azadi Sport Complex on March 5, 2026.
(AFP via Getty Images)
The Israeli state’s genocidal assault against the people of Gaza now appears to be the first installment in an ongoing series. The next episode is what the United States and Israel are doing to Lebanon and Iran. It’s not just the relentless bombings and missile launches with little regard for civilian life that’s so reminiscent of the war on Gaza. It’s not just the slaughtering of children followed by easily debunked denials. (The casual mendacity of both governments is jaw-dropping.) It’s not the assassinations of governmental and religious leaders. It’s the attempt to kill hope.
A source of hope and joy in Iran—as in Palestine—has always been organized sports. In Iran, soccer, wrestling (where Iran has achieved global acclaim), and volleyball are three of the main sporting ventures in which Iran competes internationally. Yet it’s difficult to play—and by extension impossible for a child to have dreams of athletic glory—when the sports infrastructure is destroyed. As I’ve pointed out for over a decade, Israel has long targeted sport facilities and athletes in Gaza. The logic is that if you kill the joy that comes with leisure pursuits and extracurricular activities, you kill the will to resist.
In yet another echo of Gaza, on March 5, one of the first bombing targets in Iran was the historic Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran. Perhaps the most iconic sports facility in the Middle East, Azadi has played host to many of the most storied moments in Iranian athletic history, including a 1998 World Cup qualifier match against Australia played in front of 128,000 people. The Azadi indoor facility, which holds 12,000 and is a central locale for basketball, martial arts, and volleyball, is now a smoldering husk.
Azadi had been a tourist attraction and the site for countless national and international soccer matches, not to mention the setting for Iran’s 2025 victory that clinched an appearance in this year’s World Cup, although their scheduled matches now do not seem likely to occur.
The stadium was held in high enough international regard that it was the centerpiece of Iran’s bid to host the 1984 Olympics. (A bid that was scuttled after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.) Alireza Sohrabian, president of Iran’s Rowing Federation, said, “The destruction of sports, …
The Bombing of Iran’s Azadi Stadium Is Straight Out of Israel’s Gaza Script
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The Bombing of Iran’s Azadi Stadium Is Straight Out of Israel’s Gaza Script
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Current Issue
World
/ March 11, 2026
The Bombing of Iran’s Azadi Stadium Is Straight Out of Israel’s Gaza Script
Israel has long targeted sport facilities and athletes in Gaza. Now with US help, it’s doing the same thing in Iran.
Dave Zirin
Share
Copy Link
Facebook
X (Twitter)
Bluesky Pocket
Email
Ad Policy
A US-Israeli strike hit Tehran’s Azadi Sport Complex on March 5, 2026.
(AFP via Getty Images)
The Israeli state’s genocidal assault against the people of Gaza now appears to be the first installment in an ongoing series. The next episode is what the United States and Israel are doing to Lebanon and Iran. It’s not just the relentless bombings and missile launches with little regard for civilian life that’s so reminiscent of the war on Gaza. It’s not just the slaughtering of children followed by easily debunked denials. (The casual mendacity of both governments is jaw-dropping.) It’s not the assassinations of governmental and religious leaders. It’s the attempt to kill hope.
A source of hope and joy in Iran—as in Palestine—has always been organized sports. In Iran, soccer, wrestling (where Iran has achieved global acclaim), and volleyball are three of the main sporting ventures in which Iran competes internationally. Yet it’s difficult to play—and by extension impossible for a child to have dreams of athletic glory—when the sports infrastructure is destroyed. As I’ve pointed out for over a decade, Israel has long targeted sport facilities and athletes in Gaza. The logic is that if you kill the joy that comes with leisure pursuits and extracurricular activities, you kill the will to resist.
In yet another echo of Gaza, on March 5, one of the first bombing targets in Iran was the historic Azadi Sports Complex in Tehran. Perhaps the most iconic sports facility in the Middle East, Azadi has played host to many of the most storied moments in Iranian athletic history, including a 1998 World Cup qualifier match against Australia played in front of 128,000 people. The Azadi indoor facility, which holds 12,000 and is a central locale for basketball, martial arts, and volleyball, is now a smoldering husk.
Azadi had been a tourist attraction and the site for countless national and international soccer matches, not to mention the setting for Iran’s 2025 victory that clinched an appearance in this year’s World Cup, although their scheduled matches now do not seem likely to occur.
The stadium was held in high enough international regard that it was the centerpiece of Iran’s bid to host the 1984 Olympics. (A bid that was scuttled after the 1979 Iranian Revolution.) Alireza Sohrabian, president of Iran’s Rowing Federation, said, “The destruction of sports, …
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