Iran unveils armband for 2018 Pahlavani wrestling champion

The Islamic Republic of Iran has put on display the armband for the forthcoming National Senior Pahlavani Wrestling Championship in the country’s northeastern shrine city of Mashhad, which will be awarded to the athlete who is crowned the champion of the tournament.

Iranian President of the International Pahlavani Wrestling Federation, Alireza Heidari described the armband as a work of art designed and produced by a group of Iranian artists, noting that the wrestler named Iran’s “Champion of the Year” will don it.

The 2018 National Senior Pahlavani Wrestling Championship will kick off in Mashhad on January 10, and will finish the next day.

On December 30, 2016, Iranian wrestler Jaber Sadeqzadeh overcame compatriot Ahmad Mirzapour in the over 100-kilogram weight category of the competitions at Mashhad’s Shahid Beheshti Sports Hall, and stood atop the podium.

Sadeqzadeh was crested the “Champion of the Year” and wore the Pahlavani armband.

Pahlavani wrestling goes back to ancient Persia, and was originally used to train warriors.

It combines martial arts and wrestling techniques, calisthenics, strength training and epic music.

The two competitors in a match try to take control over each other by throwing the opposite combatant back on his shoulder.

The wrestler is allowed to grab his opponent’s pants or belt as a grip.  He can also use his own legs to off-balance a rival, hence causing him to fall to the ground.

The United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO) has recognized Pahlavani wrestling as among the world's longest-running forms of sport.

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