TEHRAN – A total of 12 countries will participate at the first edition of the International Athletic Imam Reza Cup Tournament.

The competitions will be held in Mashhad, Iran on April 11 and 12.

International Athletic Imam Reza Cup Tournament, which serves as a qualification event for the Tokyo Olympic Games, will be held in honor of Iranian athlete Ali Baghbanbashi.

Long-distance runner Baghbanbashi competed in the 1952 and 1956 Summer Olympics and claimed a gold medal in the 5,000 meters event in 1951 Asian Games.

“We are planning to hold the competition annually. Until now, a total of 12 countries have shown readiness to take part in the event but we hope to hold the competition with more countries in the next years,” head of Athletic Federation of Islamic Republic of Iran (AAFIRI) Hashem Siami said in the press conference on Sunday.

 The two-day competition will take place at the well-equipped Imam Reza Stadium.