AN IRANIAN WEIGHTLIFTER has put his Rio 2016 gold medal up for auction in an attempt to raise funds for those affected by a major earthquake that hit the Iran-Iraq border last week.
The 7.3-magnitude quake killed more than 400 people, and up to 10,000 were injured.
Kianoush Rostami, who also set a world record in Rio and won a bronze medal at the 2012 Games in London, posted the news on his Instagram account.
26-year-old Rostami said he was ‘taking a step, however small’ to help those in need.
He wrote (translation via CNN): “I consider it my duty to take a step, however small, to help my beloved fellow countrymen who have suffered as a result of the quake.
“I am returning the gold medal, which is theirs by right, to my people. I will auction off the medal and use the proceeds to help the quake victims.”
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