From: bavafa@netcom.com (Hooshyar Naraghi)
Subject: Iran in Olympics
Date: Sun, 26 Jul 92 00:25:22 GMT
Organization: Let the Games Begin!


There was a question from Najmeh to cite Iran's medals in previous Olympiads.
A kind netter posted the medals (sorry I forgot your name, but thanks) at
various Olympics.  I was then reminded of my encounter back in 75 or 76 in
Iran with Mohammad Nassiri, the world weightlifter champion, during which he
gave this advice to this youth full of 'hayejAn' football, i.e., bandey-e
haghir.  I never mastered football enough to earn a position in Iran's
National Football Team, nevertheless, Nassiri's alarming words are still
echoing im my ears after all these years.

ghahremAn Nassiri told me 'I see you love football and some day you might
become a football champion for your country.  Remember one thing:  we are
all representatives of our country when we attend championship events.  It
was not me who won the gold medal in Mexico.  It was Iran although in the
books they wrote my name; although all those photographers and journalists
came to my room and interviewed me; although I am the one to keep the gold
medal.'

At the treshold of the opening ceremonies in Barcelona, Spain, I would 
dedicate this list to all those athletes who represented Iran in the Olympic
Games.  The list contains the names of those heros who earned a medal.  But
there were many others who did not earn any medal.  This list in an indirect
way embodies their names too.  I felt knowledge of the quantity of the medals
did not lead us to recognize those athletes who endeavored to represent Iran
in the Olympics.

Happy championship to our athletes in Barcelona.

Regards,
Hooshyar F. Naraghi
bavafa@netcom.com
(415) 324-1055

=============================================================================
Notes:
- All medals are harvested in Wrestling (both free style and Greco-Roman or
  as we call it 'farangi') and Weightlifting events.  The codes I have
  chosen to identify the events are WL, WS, and WSG (two times earning a
  medal in Greco-Roman wrestling).
- Iran's first appearance in the Olympics was in 1948 London games.
- Iran was absent in 1980 Moscow and 1984 Los Angeles games.
- All appearances are in the Summer Olympic Games.

Here we go:

1948 London    : WL - Jafar Salmasi              60 Kg, Bronse

1952 Melbourne : WL - Mahmoud Namjou             56 Kg, Silver
                 WL - Ali Mirzai                 56 Kg, Bronse
                 WS - Mahmoud Mollaghasemi       52 Kg, Bronse  
                 WS - Nasser Givechi             62 Kg, Silver
                 WS - Jahanbakhte Towfigh        68 Kg, Bronse
                 WS - Abdullah Modjtabavi        74 Kg, Bronse
                 WS - Gholam Reza Takhti         82 Kg, Silver

1956 Helsinki  : WL - Mahmoud Namjou             56 kg, Bronse
                 WS - Mohammad Ali Khojastepour  52 Kg, Silver
                 WS - Mehdi Yaghoubi             57 Kg, Silver
                 WS - Emamali Habibi             68 Kg, Gold
                 WS - Gholam Reza Takhti         90 Kg, Gold

1960 Rome      : WL - Esmaiil Elmkhan            56 Kg, Bronse
                 WS - Mohammad Ebrahim Seifpour  52 Kg, Bronse
                 WS - Gholam Reza Takhti         90 Kg, Silver
                 WSG- Mohammad Pazirai           52 Kg, Bronse

1964 Tokyo     : WS - Ali Akbar Heidari          52 Kg, Bronse
                 WS - Mohammad Ali Sanatkaran    74 Kg, Bronse

1968 Mexico    : WL - Mohammad Nassiri           56 Kg, Gold
                 WL - Parviz Jalayer             67 Kg, Silver
                 WS - Abutaleb Talebi            57 Kg, Bronse
               * WS - Shamseddin Seyyedabbasi    62 Kg, Bronse
                 WS - Abdollah Movahhed          68 Kg, Gold

1972 Munich      WL - Mohammad Nassiri           65 Kg, Silver
                 WS - Ebrahim Javadi             48 Kg, Bronse
                 WSG- Rahim Aliabadi             48 Kg, Silver

1976 Montreal    WL - Mohammad Nassiri           52 Kg, Bronse
                 WS - Mansour Barzegar           74 Kg, Silver

1988 Seol        WS - Askari Mohammadian         57 Kg, Silver

* Legend has it Seyyedabbasi was one of the most skillfull wrestlers in the
  world to perfom a 'fetileh pich' technique


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