TEHRAN – Rasoul Khadem stepped down as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran Wrestling Federation on Wednesday.

Khadem’s resignation came three days after poor results of Iranian wrestlers in the Wrestling World Championships in Budapest, Hungary.

No Iranian wrestler could reach the final in the competitions.

Khadem explained that he had handed in his resignation seven months ago to the Ministry of Sport and Youth, but it was turned down.

Three Iranian freestylers namely, Hassan Yazdani, Alireza Karimi and Parviz Hadi claimed bronze medals in the games, and Greco-Roman wrestler Mehdi Aliyari also won a bronze, making the Iranian teams finish in the unexpected 25th place.

Khadem also noted that expectations are high for wrestling federation, suggesting that the federation require “infrastructure investment” to remain among top countries.

“Iran wrestling will return to its glorious days with a little consideration for sure,” he stressed.

As the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games is only 21 months away, Khadem advised a quick substitute for the president of the wrestling federation.

Khadem, 46, is a former Iranian wrestler who has won a bronze medal in the 1992 Summer Olympics and a gold medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.

He was also the 1994 and 1995 world champion and the 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995 and 1996 Asian champion.