Secretary of the Iranian Wrestling Federation: We Will Investigate the Absence of Foreign Countries at the Natiq Noori Cup

Despite the lack of good reception from foreign countries at the Natiq Noori Wrestling Cup, we achieved our intended goals. Seyed Javad Rafougher, Secretary of the Iranian Wrestling Federation, stated this to the Iran Sports News Agency (ISNA), saying: 'Our main goal for holding this competition was to identify undiscovered talents in Greco-Roman and freestyle wrestling, which we largely achieved. Moreover, this competition effectively served as a selection for the national team and was held at a very high level with the participation of young elite wrestlers from our country, such that representatives from the federation and FILA expressed satisfaction with the quality of these competitions.' The Secretary of the Wrestling Federation clarified that there were no restrictions on the participation of foreign countries, stating: 'Unfortunately, only Armenia and Syria participated in these competitions. Given that this event is included in the FILA calendar, we will try to investigate the reasons for the absence of other countries through FILA.' He added: 'It may be due to the specific conditions of the region or the outbreak of SARS in Asia, among other reasons, but in any case, the lack of foreign participation is unacceptable to us.' Javad Rafougher pointed out Iran's extensive presence in most international wrestling competitions, saying: 'The Wrestling Federation has long-term goals in mind and aims to provide opportunities for teenagers and youth in various wrestling fields to create strong foundations for the country's primary sport, ensuring a bright future for wrestling in our country.' He concluded by thanking various officials in Noor County for their tireless efforts to hold these competitions more gloriously and expressed hope that in the coming years, these competitions would attract more countries from around the world. It is noteworthy that the Greco-Roman wrestling competitions of the Natiq Noori Cup concluded with the participation of 127 young Greco-Roman wrestlers, showcasing the talents of Iranian wrestlers.