Introduction: The experience of different countries regarding the use of sports as an efficient tool to solve many political conflicts and the existence of a research gap led to the present research being conducted with the aim of developing a model of political development of sports in the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Methods: This research is applied and qualitative type based on grounded theory with Strauss and Corbin approach. The participants in the current research were 13 experts in the field of politics and sports in Iran, members of the faculty of sports management and political science, who were selected using purposeful method and considering theoretical saturation. The tool of research was semi-structured interview. In the stage of data analysis, firstly, the demographic characteristics of the participants and then the coding of the data were presented.

Results: The coding results of this research were obtained in 96 open codes, 32 concepts and 14 categories. The results of the research showed that the political development model of sports in the Islamic Republic of Iran consists of five dimensions: causal factors (the need for development and the need to solve problems), background factors (environmental factors, management factors and level of awareness), intervening factors (internal and external obstacles), strategies ( political, organizational and economic) and consequences (sports development, socio-cultural development, economic development and political development).

Conclusion: The political development of Iranian sports can lead to the country's sports, cultural, social and economic development in addition to reducing domestic and international problems.