More Athletes Sell Medals to Help Quake Victims

Iranian female shooter Sareh Javanmardi has put up her Paralympics gold medal for auction to raise money for the victims of the killer earthquake in western Iran on Sunday.

A 7.3-magnitude earthquake shook the western province of Kermanshah and the regions bordering Iraq on Sunday. The natural disaster cut short the lives of 432 people and injured 9,400. The quake has left thousands homeless and in urgent need of support, IRNA reported.

Javanmardi who won gold in the 2016 Rio Paralympics has been nominated by the International Paralympics Committee (IPC) as the best female athlete in September.

Iranian Canoe polo champion Ramin Ghiasvand also dedicated his Asian gold medal to the quake-hit people of Kermanshah.

Ghiasvand won the gold medal at the 2017 Asian Canoeing Championships in Malaysia. He was recognized as the most technical athlete in the tournament.

Wrestler Masoud Mostafa-Jokar has also put up his only Olympics medal for auction to help the quake victims.

Mostafa-Jokar competed in the Men’s Freestyle 60 kg at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens and won the silver medal.

Several Iranian champions are also planning to help the people in need. It was Olympic weightlifting champion Kianoush Rostami who announced the auction of his Rio Olympics 2016 gold medal first to raise money for the quake-stricken areas.

Football clubs Esteghlal, Persepolis and Sepahan have also sent their non-cash assistance to border province devastated by the 7.3 magnitude earthquake.