{"id":13984,"date":"2017-11-29T10:55:00","date_gmt":"2017-11-29T10:55:00","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/2017\/11\/29\/iranian-wrestler-throws-match-to-avoid-facing-israeli-in-next-round\/"},"modified":"2017-11-29T10:55:00","modified_gmt":"2017-11-29T10:55:00","slug":"iranian-wrestler-throws-match-to-avoid-facing-israeli-in-next-round","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/associatednews.us\/content\/iranian-wrestler-throws-match-to-avoid-facing-israeli-in-next-round\/","title":{"rendered":"Iranian Wrestler Throws Match To Avoid Facing Israeli In Next Round"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Scott Neuman<\/a><\/span> <\/p>\n

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\n A photo from 2016 Rio Games, shows Iran’s Ali Reza Karimi, right, facing off USA’s J’den Michael Tbory Cox (red) in the men’s 86kg freestyle quarter-final match.<\/p>\n

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Jack Guez\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

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Jack Guez\/AFP\/Getty Images<\/p>\n

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Iranian wrestler Ali Reza Karimi had his eye on the prize at the U-23 World Championship in Poland: He was heading to certain victory against his Russian opponent.<\/p>\n

All was good until his coach shouted from the sidelines “Ali Reza, lose.”<\/p>\n

As The New York Times<\/em>describes the scene<\/a>: “The Iranian wrestler shakes his head and continues, until his coach once again shouts at him. At that point, he throws in the towel, metaphorically speaking …” According to the Times<\/em>, Karimi was forced into the same dilemma in 2013.<\/p>\n

In a video of the match, to the untrained eye it seems at first like a simple stumble for Ali Reza, as his opponent, Alikhan Zhabrailov, manages to pin him by the shoulders. But it quickly becomes obvious that the Iranian isn’t even trying as the wrestlers do a series of half-hearted barrel rolls around the circumference of the ring.<\/p>\n

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Iranian wrestler Alireza Karimi about to beat Russian, but will have to face Israeli next round. His coach his calling him from the sidelines, telling him to \u201close.\u201d Iran forbids its athletes to play Israeli’s. Iranian wrestler gives up. pic.twitter.com\/nX9KHaH8Jn<\/a><\/p>\n

\u2014 Thomas Erdbrink (@ThomasErdbrink) November 27, 2017<\/a><\/p><\/blockquote>\n<\/div>\n

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Later, Karimi told the semi-official Iranian Students News Agency that he was “told that the Israeli wrestler defeated his American rival, and that I must lose to avoid facing an Israeli opponent,” adding, “in a moment, my whole world seemed to come to an end.”<\/p>\n