United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic says that wrestling is a sport that unites people and nations.

The prestigious event has been scheduled to take place in Kermanshah, Iran, from Feb. 16-17 but U.S. wrestlers have been banned from participating in the competition in response to President Trump’s executive order forbidding visas for Iranian nationals.

Statement from United World Wrestling president Nenad Lalovic:

Though we had hoped for a different outcome from Iran's Foreign Ministry, we appreciate the complex nature of this decision. We are currently working to find a solution for the Freestyle World Cup as soon as possible.

Despite the travel restrictions between their countries I've been encouraged this week by the cooperation and friendship of the Iranian Wrestling Federation and USA Wrestling. As we've seen over the years, wrestling is a sport that unites people and nations. United World Wrestling hosts a full calendar of events every season and we're certain to see American and Iranian wrestlers on the same mat again in the very near future.