US, Iran Go to the Mat for Olympic Wrestling
February 22, 2013
The United States and Iran rarely agree on much. But now sports officials in both countries are going to the mat to try to save wrestling as an Olympic sport.
World Championship wrestling in Tehran pits the United States against Iran. But the match is about more than victory for one side or the other. For the wrestlers and their coaches, it is the start of a shared struggle.
"I would like to invite you to New York city on May 16," said Rich Bender of USA Wrestling. To which Mohammad Aliabadi of the Iranian National Olympic Committee answered, "I would like to visit New York City."
The reason for the U.S. invitation for a show of solidarity with Iran? The International Olympic Committee's announcement this month that it plans to drop wrestling as an Olympic sport for the 2020 Summer Games.
It's a decision that was greeted with dismay in wrestling-crazy Iran and by fans and officials in the U.S.
So when the U.S. team arrived in Tehran this week for the World Championships, Mitch Hull with the U.S. national wrestling team, says the solution seemed simple - work together.
"Politically, we're not always on the same page with Iran, or politically with Russia, but in wrestling there's no doubt that we are all together in this effort, and we consider Iran one of our strongest allies in the sport of wrestling," he said.
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