Iran beats US 6-1 in wrestling exhibition

In a rare sign of cooperation, top-level sportsmen from the United States, Iran and Russia joined in New York’s Grand Central Terminal on Wednesday as part of a unified effort to save wrestling as an Olympic sport and raise money for the New York based organization Beat the Streets.

An American freestyle wrestling team first faced the wrestlers of Iran and then Russia in the main hall at Grand Central Terminal as a large and loud contingent of fans, waving Iranian flags, cheered them on. Iran put on a dominant performance to beat the hosts 6-1.

Hassan Rahimi, Masoud Esmaeilpour, Mehdi Taqavi, Ehsan Lashkari, Hamed Tatari and Komeil Qasemi overcame their rivals in the 55, 60, 66, 84, 96 and 120 kg categories while Kyle Dake was the only American wrestler to record a win in the competition, dubbed The Rumble on the Rails.

The executive board of the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recommended in February that wrestling be dropped in the 2020 Olympic Games. A final vote is scheduled in September, and the appearance of the three teams together in New York is part of the effort to persuade the committee to go back on its shock decision.

It is not the first such competitions. The United States has sent teams to Iran almost a dozen times, and Iran has reciprocated, although the last time an Iranian team came to America was about 13 years ago.

SF/NN

Source Article from http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/05/16/303814/iran-beats-us-61-in-wrestling-exhibition/

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