U.S. to face Iran wrestling team in Los Angeles

[AliKarimi8]

On Line: 26 April 2013 14:38
In Print: Saturday 27 April 2013


The United States and Iran wrestling teams will face in a friendly, slated for May 19 in Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena in the United States.

The Iranian freestyle team will leave Tehran on May 11 to participate in an exhibition match in New York's Times Square.

The United States Wrestling Federation has said that a dual meet will be held on May 16.

Three days later, the Iranian team will travel to Los Angeles to face the American team in another friendly.

Sports competition between the U.S. and Iran has been an example of how wrestling transcends politics and cultural differences.

Iran has competed in wrestling in the United States 10 times in recent years, including two competitions in New York City.

The friendly will also be a major opportunity for the Keep Olympic Wrestling movement and the 2020 Vision.

The International Olympic Committee Executive Board made a recommendation that wrestling not be a core sport at the 2020 Olympic Games in February, themat.com wrote.

A final decision on the program of the 2020 Olympics will be made by the entire IOC in September.

A worldwide effort has been launched by FILA and all 177 nations which participate in wrestling to retain wrestling as an Olympic sport.

http://www.tehrantimes.com/sports/10...in-los-angeles

[EKBATAN]

HELL YEA!

[CHaMiLLionaire]

They are also playing in Grand Central in NYC and Times Square.... I will be there.

[persepolisfan]

I'll go to the one in Los Angeles

[Shogun_Rua]

They are also playing in Grand Central in NYC and Times Square.... I will be there.

You have to buy tickets before hand, you can't just go there.. I thought you could just show up but now you have to buy tickets before for security reasons.

http://www.beat-the-streets.org/

[KasraKhan]

I'm thinking of going to the one in L.A., anybody else going?

[EKBATAN]

I'm thinking of going to the one in L.A., anybody else going?

ya im goin for sure

but why am i not hearing anything? normally these things get hyped in LA but i havent heard much thru iranian media

[radin119]

Tickets: http://www.ticketmaster.com/USA-vs-I...artist/1867720

[KeonKish]

I wanna go, gonna check out those tickets

[EKBATAN]

Voodland Hills Market...VestVood Estores Vill all have de teeeckets

[oldcoach]

[EKBATAN]

is it really??

[sedee91]

http://217.25.54.55/en/News/80660602...turn_to_Tehran

[radin119]

i read on one news site that they were deported

anyone know if this is true?

[KasraKhan]

http://www.insidesocal.com/tomhoffar...-on-l-a-visit/

Still no word on why Iran wrestling team went home and skipped out on L.A. visit

Without an official explanation, the Iranian national wrestling team abruptly returned home Thursday and will not compete against a United States squad as planned Sunday at the Los Angeles Sports Arena.

First reported by the Daily News on Thursday night, the reason for the team’s departure a day after decisively winning an exhibition against the U.S. in an international meet in New York remains a mystery at a critical time in promoting the sport as its Olympic future hangs in the balance


Former Olympic gold medalist and professional wrestler Kurt Angle holds up a T-shirt during a three-nation wrestling exhibition at Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday (AP Photo/Bebeto Matthews)

A goodwill tour ongoing this month involving the U.S., Russia and Iran was to boost awareness for Olympic wrestling, which might be canceled during the Summer Games starting in 2020. Wrestling is one of eight sports seeking to fill one spot in the 2020 Olympics and a key vote by the International Olympic Committee will take place May 29 in Russia to recommend three of eight sports to advance to a final vote in September.

In a joint statement released this morning by USA Wrestling executive director Rich Bender and Bill Scheer, the chairman of the Committee for the Preservation of Olympic Wrestling, the program for the “United 4 Wrestling” 2 p.m. event Sunday has been changed to include the U.S. team facing a squad from Russia and Canada instead.

“We have been informed by the Iranian Wrestling Federation that the team’s schedule has changed and they have departed for Iran,” said the statement.

“We are thankful to the Iranian Wrestling Federation for their participation in New York. We had an outstanding competition with the three countries and the Iranians have assured us that they remain committed to the cause of keeping wrestling in the Olympics.”

The U.S. team is scheduled to train this afternoon at Harvard-Westlake High School in Studio City in preparation for Sunday’s event, which organizers had planned to attract many Iranian-Americans to attend as they did in New York.

Wednesday, the Iranian team defeated the U.S. team, six matches to one, during their first visit to the U.S. in a decade. Fans waved Iranian flags and blew horns loudly.

“It was really loud in there,” said U.S. wrestler Kyle Drake afterward in an Associated Press story. “Feels like we were in Tehran. What’s going on? Where’s our USA folks?”