United World Wrestling is committed to offering the world’s best wrestlers the opportunity to compete in topnotch tournaments around the world, and the Freestyle World Cup in Kermanshah, Iran is one of those premier global events.

While we have no insight into the political differences between the United State and Iran, the cooperation between their federations has become the gold standard for our sport. Wrestlers from these nations have always displayed the highest levels of sportsmanship and their heartfelt interactions captured in photos have become synonymous with wrestling’s ability to transcend politics.

Both national federations have expressed their interest to see the United States compete at the Freestyle World Cup. We feel privileged to know that wrestling so often encourages this type of international cooperation and are hopeful that the Iranian Foreign Ministry will be able to confirm the participation of the United States at the World Cup.

“As it was during the worldwide effort to see wrestling reinstated on the Olympic programme, our sport’s strength comes directly from the passion and dedication of our athletes and fans,” said United World Wrestling President Nenad Lalovic. “We thank them for their ongoing support of United World Wrestling and our national federations.”