Iranian wrestling or Koshti ( fa, کشتی, koshti) is a form of submission grappling that has been practiced since ancient times in

Iran Iran, officially the Islamic Republic of Iran, and also called Persia, is a country located in Western Asia. It is bordered by Iraq and Turkey to the west, by Azerbaijan and Armenia to the northwest, by the Caspian Sea and Turkmeni ...

. A form today is koshti pahlavani practiced in the

zurkhaneh Pahlevani and zourkhaneh rituals is the name inscribed by UNESCO for varzesh-e pahlavāni ( fa, آیین پهلوانی و زورخانه‌ای, "heroic sport") or varzesh-e bāstāni (; , "ancient sport"), a traditional system of athletics a ...

. while regional variations differ from one province to another. Olympic freestyle wrestling is often referred to as the "first sport" of Iran. Iran has won 47 Olympic medals for wrestling.

History

Wrestling Wrestling is a series of combat sports involving grappling-type techniques such as clinch fighting, throws and takedowns, joint locks, pins and other grappling holds. Wrestling techniques have been incorporated into martial arts, combat ...

in Iran, like weightlifting, can be traced to the ancient Persian sport of Varzesh-e-Bastani, which translates to "ancient sport." Traditionally the sport was seen as a way to promote "inner strength through outer strength." Those involved were meant to embody kindness and humility, while defending the society from "sinfulness." This practice has survived into the modern era through various attempts to downplay the pre-Islamic roots of the country. It made the transition from the Pahlavi shah's efforts to modernise the country and through the transition of the

1979 Revolution The Iranian Revolution ( fa, انقلاب ایران, Enqelâb-e Irân, ), also known as the Islamic Revolution ( fa, انقلاب اسلامی, Enqelâb-e Eslâmī), was a series of events that culminated in the overthrow of the Pahlavi dynas ...

Interactions with the U.S.

After the election of Mohammad Khatami as president in 1997, he considered wrestling as a possible way to reopen diplomatic relations between Iran and U.S, after nearly two decades. This was an Iranian take on Nixon-era "ping pong" diplomacy with China. In Feb. 2017 Iran planned on denying visas to U.S. wrestlers for the Freestyle World Cup. This was done in response to President Trump's travel ban to seven Muslim majority countries. The decision to bar U.S. participants was eventually overturned by Iranian officials after a U.S. federal judge temporarily blocked Trump's ban on Iranians traveling to the U.S.

Professional Wrestling

One

professional wrestling Professional wrestling is a form of theater that revolves around staged wrestling matches. The mock combat is performed in a ring similar to the kind used in boxing, and the dramatic aspects of pro wrestling may be performed both in the ring or ...

promotion that operates in Iran is the Iran Wrestling Group (IWG). The promotion was founded in 2009. They have run shows including "IWG First War" and "IWG Lord of the Ring." Professional wrestler Hossein Khosrow Ali Vaziri was born in Tehran, Iran March 14, 1942. He has wrestled globally under the name The Iron Sheik.

Notable styles of Iranian wrestling

Wrestling is the first sport in Iran and Iranians have the highest Olympic medal for wrestling. in Iran two notable styles are for wrestling: * ''Koshti Pahlavani'', literally "heroic wrestling" (practiced throughout Iran) *'' Tourkamani'' style or

Kurash 'HISTORY OF KURASH'' Kurash is an ancient type of upright jacket grappling which originated in the territory of modern Uzbekistan. According to the latest scientific research the age of Kurash is at least three and a half thousand years. Kurash is ...

( Golestan Province)

References

External links

''Documentary video of Iranian wrestling conditioning''

Iran Wrestling parstimes.com

Amateur Wrestling Federation of the I.R. Iran