Iran and the Wrestling World Cup? It's Complicated.

INTRODUCTION

Like every other fan of wrestling in America, I like the Iranian wrestling team, but I love the Iranian wrestling fans. They are me, but with a stronger beard game. For Iran, wrestling is basketball and baseball and football; they are a wrestling country and a wrestling power. The enthusiasm of their fans make them the best in the world.  

We can all agree on that. 

Because of events over the past decade, I have not only watched Iranians wrestle, but I've also studied that country's wrestling teams in terms of their social and political significance. I have written articles on the subject since at least 2015, as I noticed a change in Iran, a melting of hearts, which I suspect was due, at least in small part, to wrestling. 

WRESTLING DIPLOMACY

It was in 1998 that sixteen American wrestlers landed in Iran with the flag of the United States embroidered on their warmups. Very few of their countrymen had set a foot inside Iran for nearly twenty years--not since the hostage crisis in 1979. 

The wrestlers were greeted warmly by Iranian wrestling fans. 

Jump forward to 2015. 

Wrestling diplomacy, similar to Nixon's "Ping-Pong Diplomacy," had continued with tournaments in both countries. In Tehran, Jordan Burroughs was greeted with the loudest cheers. Watch below as he slaps hands with at least eighty-five crazed Iranian wrestling fans:

I believe that this “Wrestling Diplomacy,” which has seen our teams compete in Iran, and Iranian teams compete in California and even in the middle of New York traffic ...

… helped to forge the ties that made the Iranian Nuclear Deal possible. In 2015, Iran allowed their women to wrestle. As reported by USA Wrestling, a small-time news aggregator called wn.com, and apparently nobody else,

The Iranian Wrestling Federation earlier this month sent more than a dozen female athletes to the 2015 Grappling World Championships in Antalya, Turkey. The women became the first from Iran to ever compete at the Grappling World championships.

What isn't surprising is that at least three of them left with medals. In their first official world championships! Japan, the United States, China and Russia have been the perennial powers of Women's International Wrestling. That's about to change.

Or so I thought. Things did change, but for the worse. Everything fell apart, all of that good will was lost. 

WHAT THE HELL HAPPENED

In 2013, Iran won the Freestyle World Championships. That had--if my hypothesis is correct--a "Lake Placid hockey effect" on their nation. They walked a little prouder, felt good about themselves, maybe became more approachable at the bargaining table. That resulted in the 2015 Nuclear Deal and the easing of economic sanctions. 

Women were allowed to grapple. 

Since then, everything has pretty much fallen apart. The Nuclear Deal is hanging by a thread, the Iranians have threatened (and allegedly) sunk ships in the Hormuz Strait, America shot a missile that killed a general that was the number two most powerful person in Iran. 

The Supreme Leader ordered nobody to have direct talks with Americans: There is no Iranian embassy in Washington, and no American embassy in Tehran. Then, there has been the sales of suicide drones to Russia for use in Ukraine. Lastly, there's been the recent Women's Revolution in that country. All of that's pretty bad, but I left out Venezuela and American drones shot down in Iranian airspace and so much more. 

THE BOUT AT THE BALLPARK

This was going to be a big icebreaker between the United States and Iran with senior men's freestyle teams joining college teams Oklahoma State and Iowa in February of this year. The Iranians refused to compete when six of their number were denied visas. 

The big issues were the death of that Iranian general, which really angered Alireza Dabir, the former world and Olympic champion, who is now at the head of Iran's wrestling federation. He was quoted as saying, "Death to America." 

This year, Iran has already won the Greco World Cup held in Azerbaijan. They have yet to announce their freestyle lineup. So far, only America and Mongolia have announced their lineups. I have not heard a peep about visa problems. 

ZANE RICHARDS

Besides my general interest in wrestling politics, I like to cheer on IRTC athletes. Zane Richards will be wrestling at 57kg at the World Cup. Will he get a shot at Iran or not?

This year, the Iranian at 57kg finished a disappointing 23rd at World's. He finished in third a year ago. (Alireza Sarlak).