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Many sports inIran are both traditional and modern.Tehran, for example, was the first city in West Asia to host theAsian Games in 1974, and continues to host and participate in major international sporting events to this day.Freestyle wrestling has been traditionally regarded as Iran'snational sport, however today,football is the most popular sport in Iran. Because of economic sanctions, the annual government's budget for sport was about $80 million in 2010 or about $1 per person.
Sports and athletic exercises were among the most fundamental daily pursuits of the people inAncient Iran.
The society attached special status tosportsmen who thanks to their physical strength and courage, defended their family and homeland when the need arose.
They were welcomed everywhere with much enthusiasm, the people took much pride in their sportsmen and praised and admired them for their courageous deeds.
According to their religious teaching, the IranianZoroastrians in their prayers sought first the beauties ofheaven and then physical strength and mental power. They believed in ahealthy and powerful body.
The ancient Iranians attachedspiritual meaning to their spoils activities which they modeled on their weapons. Even theMages (religious sages) while engaging in prayers in their temples held a mace in their hands, not unlike the British bishops who hung swords on their belts.
Avesta, the sacred book of the ancient religions of Iran glorifies the champions and sportsmen as much, if not more than saints and men of God. The older generation made arrangements for the ancient narratives and epics to be read to the young either from books or from those who had learned them from their elders.
This tradition has survived until today and outlived the rest of ages. Thus, even today, it can be observed that among the tribes and in the tea houses storytelling is practiced with the same enthusiasm as it was in bygone ages.
The extent to which the Iranians were interested in theirheroes andchampions is revealed, among other things, by the fact that in thePersian language there are over 30 words to label the concept of a hero or champion.
InAncient Iran, youths under 24 years of age received thorough training in the sport of their time which includedmiming,horsemanship,polo,dart throwing,wrestling,boxing,archery, andfencing. They were taught under conditions of severe hardship so that when the need arose they could endure the adverse conditions of war such ashunger,thirst,fatigue,heat,cold, etc.
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As of 2015, only 20 percent of Iranians are physically active while the world average is 60 percent.[1] 30% of Iranian youths never play any sports.[2]
Iran achieved a significant victory in the London 2012 Olympics. The Iranian Team has won 13 medals including 7 Gold Medals. This is the best performance of a Middle Eastern country ever in the history of the Summer Olympics.[citation needed]
Since 1979, women athletes have been subject to strict requirements when competing in Iran or abroad, with theIranian Olympic Committee stating that "severe punishment will be meted out to those who do not follow Islamic rules during sporting competitions". The committee banned women athletes from competing in Olympic events where a male referee could come into physical contact with them.[3] At the1996,2000,2004 and2008 Summer Olympics combined, a total of six women represented Iran.
In 2016, Iran made global headlines for the international female community after Iran got its first gold medal achieved by a woman. This also was a record in the MENA region.
Women athletes inIran enjoy many freedoms. In 1979, there were only 1,000 female athletes in Iran, and now the number of female athletes has reached more than 1.4 million.[4] They are active in various disciplines such asfootball,handball,basketball,weightlifting,shooting,taekwondo,wushu,karate,boating,athletics,volleyball,rock climbing, andchess.
Prominent female athletes such asZahra Nemati,Hamideh Abbasali,Nazanin Malai,Farzaneh Fassihi,Leila Rajabi,Elahe Ahmadi,Nahid Kiani,Sarasadat Khademalsharieh are well known among the Iranian people.[5][6][7][8]
The annual government's budget for sport was about $80 million in 2010 or about $1 per person.[citation needed]
According to a report in 2017, Iran's sports budget was very small this year and several decades before.[9]
Bodybuilding is very popular among the younger generation. Some professional bodybuilders of Iranian descent includeBaitollah Abbaspour, Javad Nabavi, Mohamad Farokh, Ali Tabrizi, Hamid Manafi and Zohair Al Karbelaie ("Arnold" of Fallah!).
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Iran's championship bodybuilding competitions are also held in the country. Since the late 2000s, the increasing desire of Iranian women to participate in fitness and bodybuilding events has been reported. However, restrictions have been imposed on them by the government.[10][11]
Wrestling has a very long tradition and history inIran and often even referred to as itsnational sport. There are many styles of folk wrestling, fromVarzesh-e Pahlavani to Zurkhaneh which have similarities with modernfreestyle wrestling.
Bothfreestyle andGreco-Roman wrestling, particularly freestyle, are popular in Iran.Mazandaran is the main power in the country and wrestling is part of its culture.Tehran,Kermanshah,Khorasan andHamedan also produce many talented wrestlers.
With a history of great wrestlers, such asGholamreza Takhti (two-time champion atfreestyle wrestling World Championships: 1959 and 1961), Iran is considered among the elite nations in this sport.
It is believed thatPolo first originated inPersia ages ago. The poetFirdowsi described royal polo tournaments in his 9th century epic, theShahnameh. Polo competitions are the subject of many traditionalpaintings in Iran.
Despite the emphasis inIslam on learning theequestrian arts, in modern times, especially after the1979 Iranian revolution, the equestrian sports fell out of favor in Iran, as they were associated with thearistocracy. However, recent signs suggest that it may be witnessing a comeback,[12] with renewed interest in the sport.
Horse racing is a very popular sport betweenTurkmens of Iran, and there are two greatGymnasium of horse racing atGonbad Kavous andBandar Torkaman. Competitions are not international and not broadcast but considerable prizes are given to winners.Lottery only for horse racing (andarchery) is not prohibited in Islam.
The origin ofchess is a disputed issue, but evidence exists to give credence to the theory that chess originated in India and later it came to Iran.
Football is a popular sport in Iran. Iran has been able to qualify for theFIFA World Cup seven times (1978,1998,2006,2014,2018,2022 &2026), won theAFC Asian Cup three times (1968,1972 &1976), and four times has won gold medal at theAsian Games (1974,1990,1998 &2002).
With the launch ofIran's Premier Football League; progress has been made. Some Iranian players now play in European leagues, and some Iranian clubs have hired European players or coaches.
Iranian clubs (Esteghlal andPas) have three times won theAsian Club Championship (1970, 1991, 1993); but the last championship of an Iranian team atAFC Champions League dated back to the 1992-1993 season.
Like all other sports, adequate football facilities are limited in Iran. Iran's largest football stadium is theAzadi Stadium, with a seating capacity of 100,000. Home Stadium ofEsteghlal andPersepolis (Most Popular Iranian Clubs) and where that national matches are held.
Inbasketball, Iran has annational team, and aprofessional league, with players in Asia. The national team participated in the1948 Summer Olympics in London, finishing 1-3. They competed in the2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing, thanks to their gold medal in the2007 FIBA Asia Championship, their first ever continental crown. The first ever IranianNBA-player isHamed Haddadi.
Iran have made strides to develop their women’s national team program.[15]
Strength sports likeweightlifting,powerlifting andbodybuilding have held favor among Iranians and with the success of world record-holding super-heavyweight lifterHossein Reza Zadeh, orSydney Olympics gold medalist,Hossein Tavakoli, the sport has been returned to a rather high status.
Kabaddi is also popular mainly in a select few regions like Gorgan, and Shehr e Sukhteh, Isfahan besides the capital Tehran.[16] TheIran national kabaddi team represents Iran on the International stage in Kabaddi. Iran became Champions ofAsian Games in2018, and have been two times runner-ups (2010, 2014). They have also been Standard style World cup runner-ups (in 2004,2007,2016)
Among other tournaments they have won the Kabaddi medal events atAsian beach Games in 2012 and 2014.Iran has also served as hosts for the Circle style Asia Cup in 2011.
Iran is home to mountainous regions, some of which are suitable forskiing, and snowboarding.
Skiing began in Iran in 1938 through the efforts of two German railway engineers. Today, 13 ski resorts operate in Iran, includingTochal,Dizin, andShemshak. All are within one to three hours traveling time ofTehran. Potentially suitable terrain can also be found inLorestan,Mazandaran, and other provinces. The Tochal resort is the world's fifth-highest ski resort at over 3,730 m at its highestSeventh station. The resort was completed in 1976 shortly before the overthrow of theShah. It is 15 minutes away from Tehran's northern districts, and operates seven months a year.Here, one must first ride the gondola lift. The Seventh station has three slopes. From the Tochal peak, there are views of theAlborz range.
Due to its mountains, climbing sports are popular in Iran. Both theZagros andAlborz ranges provide opportunities for the novice and advanced alike.Hiking andtrekking enthusiasts find opportunities in locations likeAlamut andTangeh Savashi.
Martial arts have gained popularity in Iran in the past 20 years.Kyokushin,shotokan,wushu, judo, andtaekwondo are the most popular.
Iran competed in theInternational Judo Federation (IJF) until 2019, when it was barred after 2018 world champion Iranian judokaSaeid Mollaei said he was ordered to throw a match toavoid facing an Israeli judoka.[17] The incident resulted in Mollaei's flight to Germany, after Iran persecuted him and his family in retaliation for the international humiliation.[18]
Involleyball, Iran has a national team, and aprofessional league. TheIran national volleyball team is among the strongest teams in the world, and the Iranian Youth and Junior (Under-19 and Under-21) national teams are among the top three strongest teams in the world, winning medals inBoys' U19 Volleyball World Championship andMen's U21 Volleyball World Championship in recent years. In the2007 Men's U21 Volleyball World Championship, the Iranians were successful at earning a bronze medal. Also, in late August 2007, the Iran national under-19 volleyball team surprised many by winning the gold medal in theVolleyball World Championship in Mexico, after beating France and China in the semi-finals and finals respectively and marking the first such international gold medal for an Iranian team sport.
Iran featured a men's national team inbeach volleyball that competed at the2018–2020 AVC Beach Volleyball Continental Cup.[19]
Futsal is practiced both at the amateur and professional levels. As of January 2019,Iran's men's national futsal team ranks 6th in world rankings afterBrazil,Spain,Russia,Portugal, andArgentina.[1]
Iran has won theAFC Futsal Championship nine times out of ten and reached theFIFA Futsal World Cup finals five times. Iran also has a nationwideFutsal Super League.
The tennis entertainerMansour Bahrami is Iranian, as well as his tennis partnerRamin Raziyani.
Another popular sport in Iran israllying. Female drivers have been allowed to participate in national rally tournaments, including Iran's successful female driverLaleh Seddigh.
Since the1979 Iranian revolution, though never explicitly declared in the law,women were barred from attending men'sfootball, swimming and wrestling competitions.[20] In April 2006, PresidentMahmoud Ahmadinejad speculated about allowing women back into the stadiums.[21] It is uncertain if this measure would gain approval, since many hard-line clerics have voiced their opposition.[22] However, women are generally free to attend indoor sports events.[citation needed]
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