Mohammad Reza Talaghani, President of Iran Wrestling Federation, Complains to FILA

Mohammad Reza Talaghani, the President of the Iran Wrestling Federation, announced the federation's protest to the International Wrestling Federation (FILA) regarding the grouping of the freestyle wrestling competitions at the World Cup in Baku. In an interview with the IRNA news agency on Tuesday, Talaghani stated that after presenting a report on the organization of the freestyle wrestling World Cup in Baku to the Vice President and the Head of the Physical Education Organization, they officially lodged their complaint about the grouping of the competitions to FILA. He mentioned that they were informed that the Iranian national wrestling team would compete against the top 5 teams in the world, but unfortunately, the officials of the Azerbaijan Wrestling Federation arranged the groups in such a way that Iran was placed in the same group as Russia and Cuba. Talaghani further expressed that they expected to face the American team in this competition, but they were also not informed about the absence of this team. He lamented that the arrangements in Baku seemed to be designed for the Azerbaijan team to claim the championship title. Referring to the results achieved by the Iranian national wrestling team in the World Cup, he noted that the competitions were held at a good time, allowing their wrestlers to recognize their standing in the world. Talaghani emphasized that wins and losses are not important for them, as they aim for a worthy presence at the 2004 Athens Olympics; thus, the Iranian national wrestling team will participate in various competitions, including the Asian Championships and international events in Russia and the USA. Regarding his evaluation of the results achieved by the Iranian freestyle wrestling team in the World Cup in Baku, he stated that he would express his opinion after receiving a report from the team officials. He added that after the team's return from Baku, the team officials would meet with him on Wednesday to provide a report on these competitions. The Azerbaijan team secured first place in the freestyle wrestling World Cup in Baku by defeating the Russian team. In the ranking match, the Cuban team, in a completely dominant game, defeated the Canadian team 27-0 to claim third place. The Iranian freestyle wrestling team, having lost to the Cuban team, finished in fifth place, while the South African team came in sixth.