NOC President Dr. Seyed Reza Salehi Amiri said the Hall of Fame was not only for collecting memorabilia and historic items, but also to allow the new generation to connect with the past.

Youngsters would be able to see the athletes who had brought honour and dignity to the country, he added.

"The philosophy behind the Iranian Sports Hall of Fame is to prevent a cultural break from the past, which is a concern today, and the fact that the new generation must recognise the achievements in our history," Amiri said. 

"Another key point about the sports museum and the Hall of Fame is to link the past with the present in society."

The Mayor of Tehran Pirouz Hanachi and Iran's Sports Minister Masoud Soltanifar were among the guests at the opening.

Six busts of Iranian Olympians were also unveiled in their presence.

Those honoured included wrestler Emamali Habibi, who won Olympic freestyle gold in the 67 kilograms category at the Melbourne 1956 Games.

Wrestlers Mahmoud Mollaghasemi, Mehdi Yaghoubi and Ebrahim Seifpour, and weightlifter Ali Mirzaei, were also all recognised.

A bust was also created for late powerlifting icon Siamand Rahman.

Known as the world's strongest Paralympian, Rahman clinched gold at the London 2012 and Rio 2016 Paralympic Games in the heavyweight class.

The triple world champion broke the men's over 107 kilograms category world record with a lift of 310kg in the Brazilian city, but tragically died of a heart attack aged just 32 in March.