A Korean shooter called a gold medal-winning rival a 'terrorist' after finding out he is a member of Iran's Revolutionary Guard

• One of the greatest shooters in Olympic history called a rival a "terrorist."
• Jin Jong-oh made the comments in relation to Iran's Javad Foroughi, who is a member of its Revolutionary Guard.
• The Iranian Revolutionary Guard Corps was declared a terrorist organization by the US in 2019.

The most successful individual in Olympic shooting history has labelled it "pure nonsense" that a member of Iran's Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) has been allowed to compete in the Tokyo Olympics, calling him a "terrorist."

Javad Foroughi won gold in the 10 meter air pistol event, beating Serbia's Damir Mikec and China's Wei Pang.

After the event, he was labelled a terrorist by Jin Jong-oh, a Korean shooter who won gold in the same event at London 2012 and competed in Tokyo.

Jong-oh made the comments in relation to the fact Foroughi is a member of the IRGC, a group classified as a terrorist organization by the US in 2019.

The Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps are elite troops who carry out shadowy missions outside Iran's borders and suppress internal dissent within.

They report only to the country's supreme leader. Some of its force of approximately 125,000 troops are commandos who supply and train militants around the region, and their operatives have been linked to terror attacks like the 1983 bombings of the US embassy and Marine barracks in Beirut.

After winning gold, Foroughi gave a military salute on the podium.

"How can a terrorist win first place? That's the most absurd and ridiculous thing," Jong-oh told reporters at Seoul Airport on arriving home from Tokyo, according to the Korea Times.

Jong-oh failed to make it past the qualification stage at the Tokyo Games, but it is his words about Foroughi which have generated headlines.

His comments came after a statement by the campaign group United for Navid, a group set up after the execution of Iranian wrestler Navid Afkari, which criticized the International Olympic Committee for allowing Foroughi to compete.

"We consider the awarding of an Olympic gold medal to Iran marksman Javad Foroughi not only a catastrophe for Iranian sports but also for the international community, and especially the reputation of the IOC. The 41-year old Foroughi is a current and longtime member of a terrorist organization," it said in a statement.

"The IRGC has a history of violence and killing not only of Iranian people and protesters there, but also innocent people in Syria, Iraq and Lebanon. It is a designated foreign terrorist organization by the United States.

"We call for an immediate investigation by the IOC, and until an investigation is completed the suspension of any medal award." it said in a statement.

Foroughi has not commented publicly on the criticisms levelled at him.