Criminal Responsibility for Athletic Operations

Since the beginning of the Iranian contemporary legislative period, there is no specific law on sports activities and therefore lawyers have resorted to legal foundations and principles in order to justify the events resulting from sport operations. In 1973, for the first time it was established that events resulting from sport operations are not a crime provided that it is not a violation of the rules related to that exercise. This provision was repeated in the following rules with little modifications. The reason is the social expediency, the victim’s satisfaction, custom and habit and attention to the important position of sport in excellence of ethics and the emphasis of the constitution. The perpetrator is an athlete and sports action means the group of actions taken within the framework of a sport. The main condition for justifying operations is compliance with the rules related to sport specially the regulations of sports faults. The athlete cannot also exploit the law’s permission to harm others. The lack of athlete responsibility is limited to the time of exercise and that the sport should not be contrary to Sharia norms.