Canadian Boxer's Gym Hit With Bullets
Canadian cruiserweight champion Salar Gholami's gym was hit with 17 bullets due to his support for Iranian freedom, sparking outrage across social media with 2.8k likes. The shocking incident highlights the dangerous intersection of politics and sports for athletes speaking out on international issues.
The shooting at Salar Gholami's Saliwan Boxing Gym in Thornhill, Ontario, occurred around 3 a.m. on March 1, 2026. While the building was unoccupied at the time and no injuries were reported, the attack is being investigated by York Regional Police as a targeted incident. Gholami himself reported counting as many as 70 bullets at the scene, which caused significant damage to the gym's entrance. Gholami, a former captain of the Iranian national boxing team from 2016 to 2018, has been an outspoken critic of the Iranian government. The attack on his gym happened just hours after he had been part of a public celebration following the announced deaths of top Iranian leaders in U.S.-Israeli strikes. The gym's windows displayed the Lion and Sun flag, a symbol of pre-revolutionary Iran that is banned by the current government. This incident is not isolated, as many Iranian athletes who speak out against the regime face threats and persecution. Some have been forced to defect and seek asylum in other countries due to pressure and threats from Iranian officials. At the 2024 Olympics, 14 of the 37 athletes on the Refugee Olympic Team were of Iranian origin. Gholami, who holds the title of Canadian cruiserweight champion, has been a key organizer of large-scale protests against the Iranian regime in Toronto, some drawing hundreds of thousands of participants. He has stated that he receives daily death threats for his activism but remains undeterred, organizing another rally on the same day his gym was shot up.
