List of flag bearers for Iran at the Olympics
Table:
#
Event year
Season
Flag bearer
Sport

1
1948
Summer
Mostafa Baharmast
Official

2
1952
Summer
Mahmoud Namjoo
Weightlifting

3
1956
Winter
Simon Farzami
Official

4
1956
Summer
Mahmoud Namjoo
Weightlifting

5
1960
Summer
Jafar Salmasi
Official

6
1964
Winter
Ovaness Meguerdounian
Alpine skiing

7
1964
Summer
Nosratollah Shahmir
Official

8
1968
Winter
Ovaness Meguerdounian
Alpine skiing

9
1968
Summer
Abolfazl Anvari
Wrestling

10
1972
Winter
Ovaness Meguerdounian
Official

11
1972
Summer
Abdollah Movahed
Wrestling

12
1976
Winter
Lotfollah Kiashemshaki
Official

13
1976
Summer
Moslem Eskandar-Filabi
Wrestling

14
1988
Summer
Hassan Zahedi
Taekwondo

15
1992
Summer
Alireza Soleimani
Wrestling

16
1996
Summer
Lida Fariman
Shooting

17
1998
Winter
Hassan Shemshaki
Alpine skiing

18
2000
Summer
Amir Reza Khadem
Wrestling

19
2002
Winter
Bagher Kalhor
Alpine skiing

20
2004
Summer
Arash Miresmaeili
Judo

Using the given table along with the relevant paragraphs listed at the end.

Respond to the question below: Jafar Salmasi was the flag bearer for Iran during the Summer Olympics that were held where ? Provide just your answer in a JSON object {"answer": "YOUR ANSWER"}.

The 1948 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XIV Olympiad , was an international multi-sport event which was held in London , United Kingdom from 29 July to 14 August 1948 . After a twelve-year hiatus caused by the outbreak of World War II ; these were the first Summer Olympics held since the 1936 Games in Berlin . The 1940 Olympic Games had been scheduled for Tokyo , and then for Helsinki ; the 1944 Olympic Games had been provisionally planned for London . This was the second occasion that London had hosted the Olympic Games , having previously hosted them in 1908 , forty years earlier . The Olympics would again return to London 64 years later in 2012 , making London the first city to have hosted the games three times , and the only such city until Paris and Los Angeles host their third games in 2024 and 2028 , respectively . The 1948 Olympic Games were the first of two summer Olympic Games held under the IOC presidency of Sigfrid Edström . The event came to be known as the Austerity Games , because of the difficult economic climate and rationing imposed in the aftermath of World War II . No new venues were built for the games ( with events taking place mainly at Empire Stadium and the Empire Pool at Wembley Park ) , and athletes were housed in existing accommodation at the Wembley area instead of an Olympic Village , as were the 1936 Berlin Olympic Games and the subsequent 1952 Games in Helsinki . A record 59 nations were represented by 4,104 athletes , 3,714 men and 390 women , in 19 sport disciplines . Germany and Japan were not invited to participate in the games ; the Soviet Union was invited but chose not to send any athletes , sending observers instead to prepare for the 1952 Olympics . One of the star performers at the Games was Dutch sprinter Fanny Blankers-Koen . Dubbed The Flying Housewife , the thirty-year-old mother of two won four gold medals in athletics .
The 1952 Summer Olympics ( Finnish : Kesäolympialaiset 1952 ; Swedish : Olympiska sommarspelen 1952 ) , officially known as the Games of the XV Olympiad , were an international multi-sport event held in Helsinki , Finland , from July 19 to August 3 , 1952 . Helsinki had been earlier selected to host the 1940 Summer Olympics , which were cancelled due to World War II . It is the northernmost city at which a summer Olympic Games have been held . These were the first games to be held in a non-Indo-European language speaking country . It was also the Olympic Games at which the most number of world records were broken until it was surpassed by the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing . The Soviet Union , the People 's Republic of China , Hong Kong , Indonesia , Israel , Thailand , and Saarland made their Olympic debuts in Helsinki 1952 . The United States won the most gold and overall medals .
Mahmoud Namjoo ( Persian : محمود نامجو , September 22 , 1918 - January 21 , 1989 ) was an Iranian bantamweight weightlifter . He competed at the 1948 , 1952 and 1956 Olympics and placed fifth , second and third , respectively . At the world championships he won three gold , one silver and two bronze medals between 1949 and 1957 , becoming the first Iranian weightlifter to win a world title . Namjoo was also the first Asian weightlifter to set a world record ; during his career he set four : one in clean and jerk in 1949 and three in the total , in 1948 , 1949 and 1951 . Namjoo was born in Rasht in 1918 and in 1937 moved to Tehran , where he worked at a carpentry workshop . He took weightlifting in a gym nearby . Besides weightlifting he also competed in bodybuilding , and won the Mr. Universe title in his weight division in 1948 , placing fifth in 1955 . In 1956 he spent two months working as a weightlifting coach in Turkey . He continued training in his forties and unsuccessfully tried to qualify for the 1960 Olympics . He died of pancreatic cancer aged 70 .
The weightlifting competition at the 1952 Summer Olympics in Helsinki consisted of seven weight classes , all for men only . The middle-heavyweight division was a newly created weight class , moving the heavyweight class up from 82.5 kg to 90 kg . The events were held at Messuhalli .
The 1956 Winter Olympics , officially known as the VII Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les VIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ; Italian : VII Giochi olimpici invernali ) , was a multi-sport event held in Cortina d'Ampezzo , Italy , from 26 January to 5 February 1956 . Cortina , which had originally been awarded the 1944 Winter Olympics , beat out Montreal , Colorado Springs and Lake Placid for the right to host the 1956 Games . The Cortina Games were unique in that many of the venues were within walking distance of each other . The organising committee received financial support from the Italian government for infrastructure improvements , but the rest of the costs for the Games had to be privately financed . Consequently , the organising committee was the first to rely heavily on corporate sponsorship for funding . Thirty-two nations - the largest number of countries participating in the Winter Olympics until then - competed in the four sports and twenty-four events . Austrian Toni Sailer became the first person to sweep all three alpine skiing events in a single Olympics . The figure skating competition was held outdoors for the last time at these Games . Logistically , the only problem encountered was a lack of snow at the alpine skiing events . To remedy this , the Italian army transported large amounts of snow to ensure the courses were adequately covered . Politics did not affect the 1956 Winter Games - unlike the Summer Games in Melbourne , Australia later in the year which many nations boycotted after the Soviet repression of the Hungarian Revolution , and the Suez War . The Cortina Olympics were the first Winter Olympics televised to a multi-national audience .
The 1956 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XVI Olympiad , was an international multi-sport event that was held in Melbourne , Victoria , Australia from 22 November to 8 December 1956 , with the exception of the equestrian events , which were held in Stockholm , Sweden in June 1956 . These Games were the first to be staged in the Southern Hemisphere and Oceania , as well as the first to be held outside Europe and North America . Melbourne is the most southerly city ever to host the Olympics . Due to the Southern Hemisphere 's seasons being different from those in the Northern Hemisphere , the 1956 Games did not take place at the usual time of year , because of the need to hold the events during the warmer weather of the host 's spring/summer ( which corresponds to the Northern Hemisphere 's autumn/winter ) . The Olympic equestrian events could not be held in Melbourne due to Australia 's strict quarantine regulations , so they were held in Stockholm five months earlier . This was the second time that the Olympics were not held entirely in one country , the first being the 1920 Summer Olympics , which were held in Antwerp , Belgium , with some events taking place in Ostend , Belgium and Amsterdam , Netherlands . Despite uncertainties and various complications encountered during the preparations , the 1956 Games went ahead in Melbourne as planned and turned out to be a success . The enduring tradition of national teams parading as one during the closing ceremony was started at these Olympics . Several teams boycotted the Games in protest of the IOC 's rejection to suspend the USSR after their invasion of Hungary . The Soviet Union won the most gold and overall medals .
The weightlifting competition at the 1956 Summer Olympics in Melbourne consisted of seven weight classes , all for men only .
The 1960 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XVII Olympiad ( Italian : Giochi della XVII Olimpiade ) , was an international multi-sport event that was held from August 25 to September 11 , 1960 , in Rome , Italy . The city of Rome had previously been awarded the administration of the 1908 Summer Olympics , but following the eruption of Mount Vesuvius in 1906 , Rome had no choice but to decline and pass the honour to London . The Soviet Union won the most gold and overall medals .
Mohammad-Jafar Salmasi ( Persian : محمدجعفر سلماسی , 22 September 1918 - 31 January 2000 ) was an Iranian weightlifter who won Iran 's first Olympic medal at 1948 Summer Olympics . He was born in Kadhimiya , Iraq but originally from Salmas , West Azerbaijan .
The 1964 Winter Olympics , officially known as the IX Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les IXes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) ( German : Olympische Winterspiele 1964 ) , was a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in Innsbruck , Austria , from January 29 to February 9 , 1964 . The Games included 1091 athletes from 36 nations , and the Olympic Torch was carried by Joseph Rieder , a former alpine skier who had participated in the 1956 Winter Olympics . The Games were affected by the deaths of Australian alpine skier Ross Milne and British luge slider Kazimierz Kay-Skrzypeski , during training , and by the deaths , three years earlier , of the entire US figure skating team and family members .
Ovaness Meguerdonian ( born 1929 ) is an Iranian alpine skier . He competed at the 1964 Winter Olympics and the 1968 Winter Olympics .
Alpine skiing at the 1964 Winter Olympics consisted of six events , held near Innsbruck , Austria , from January 30 to February 8 , 1964 . The men 's downhill was held on Patscherkofel ( above Igls ) , the other five events at Axamer Lizum . This was the first Olympics in which the finishing times were recorded in hundredths of a second , rather than tenths . It was the third and final Winter Olympics in which East and West Germany competed as the United Team of Germany . Mild weather led to a lack of snow , which was trucked in and packed down by the Austrian army . During a training run for the men 's downhill at Patscherkofel on January 25 , Ross Milne of Australia lost control and left the course ; he hit a tree and later died of a head injury . The Winter Olympics returned to Innsbruck just 12 years later in 1976 , after Denver returned its winning bid in November 1972 ( Innsbruck was awarded the 1976 games in February 1973 ) .
The 1964 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XVIII Olympiad ( Japanese : 第十八回オリンピック競技大会 , Hepburn : Dai Jūhachi-kai Orinpikku Kyōgi Taikai ) , was an international multi-sport event held in Tokyo , Japan , from 10 to 24 October 1964 . Tokyo had been awarded the organization of the 1940 Summer Olympics , but this honour was subsequently passed to Helsinki because of Japan 's invasion of China , before ultimately being cancelled because of World War II . The 1964 Summer Games were the first Olympics held in Asia , and the first time South Africa was barred from taking part due to its apartheid system in sports . ( South Africa was , however , allowed to compete at the 1964 Summer Paralympics , also held in Tokyo , where it made its Paralympic Games debut . ) Tokyo was chosen as the host city during the 55th IOC Session in West Germany , on 26 May 1959 . These games were also the first to be telecast internationally without the need for tapes to be flown overseas , as they had been for the 1960 Olympics four years earlier . The games were telecast to the United States using Syncom 3 , the first geostationary communication satellite , and from there to Europe using Relay 1 . These were also the first Olympic Games to have color telecasts , albeit partially . Certain events like the sumo wrestling and judo matches , sports huge in Japan , were tried out using Toshiba 's new colour transmission system , but only for the domestic market . History surrounding the 1964 Olympics was chronicled in the 1965 documentary film Tokyo Olympiad , directed by Kon Ichikawa . The games were scheduled for mid-October to avoid the city 's midsummer heat and humidity and the September typhoon season . The previous Olympics in Rome in 1960 started in late August and experienced hot weather .
The 1968 Winter Olympics , officially known as the X Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les Xes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) , were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated in 1968 in Grenoble , France , and opened on 6 February . Thirty-seven countries participated . Frenchman Jean-Claude Killy won three gold medals in all the alpine skiing events . In women 's figure skating , Peggy Fleming won the only United States gold medal . The games have been credited with making the Winter Olympics more popular in the United States , not least of which because of ABC 's extensive coverage of Fleming and Killy , who became overnight sensations among teenage girls . The year 1968 marked the first time the IOC first permitted East and West Germany to enter separately , and the first time the IOC ever ordered drug and gender testing of competitors .
Alpine skiing at the 1968 Winter Olympics consisted of six events , held 9-17 February at Chamrousse , southeast of Grenoble , France . Jean-Claude Killy of France won all three men 's events , repeating Toni Sailer 's triple-gold of 1956 . Since Killy 's feat , no male alpine ski racer has won three gold medals in a single Olympics . ( Janica Kostelic later won three gold medals in the 2002 Winter Olympics ) . This was the first Olympics with a two-run men 's giant slalom , with one run per day . The women 's giant slalom was one run until 1980 . For the only time , the results from Olympic races were included in the World Cup standings , then in its second season . Following the 1970 season , Olympic and World Championship results were not included in the World Cup points standings .
The 1968 Summer Olympics ( Spanish : Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1968 ) , officially known as the Games of the XIX Olympiad , was an international multi-sport event held in Mexico City , Mexico , from October 12 to the 27th . These were the first Olympic Games to be staged in Latin America and the first to be staged in a Spanish-speaking country . They were the first Games to use an all-weather ( smooth ) track for track and field events instead of the traditional cinder track . The 1968 Games were the third to be held in the last quarter of the year , after the 1956 Games in Melbourne and the 1964 Games in Tokyo . The Mexican Student Movement of 1968 happened concurrently and the Olympic Games were correlated to the government 's repression . The United States won the most gold and overall medals for the last time until 1984 .
Abolfazl Anvari ( Persian : ابوالفضل انورى , 9 February 1938 - 14 February 2018 ) was an Iranian heavyweight freestyle wrestler . He won bronze medals at the 1966 and 1969 World Championships and at the 1970 Asian Games . He placed fourth at the 1967 World Championships and sixth at the 1968 Summer Olympics .
At the 1968 Summer Olympics , 16 wrestling events were contested , for all men . There were eight weight classes in Greco-Roman wrestling and eight classes in freestyle wrestling .
The 1972 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XI Olympic Winter Games ( Japanese : 第十一回オリンピック冬季競技大会 , Dai Jūichi-kai Orinpikku Tōkikyōgi Taikai ) ( French : Les XIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) , were a winter multi-sport event which was held from February 3 to February 13 , 1972 , in Sapporo , Hokkaidō , Japan . It was the first Winter Olympics to be held outside Europe and North America , and only the third game ( summer or winter ) held outside those regions overall , after Melbourne ( 1956 Summer Olympics ) and Tokyo ( 1964 Summer Olympics ) .
The 1972 Summer Olympics ( German : Olympische Sommerspiele 1972 ) , officially known as the Games of the XX Olympiad , was an international multi-sport event held in Munich , West Germany , from 26 August to 11 September 1972 . The sporting nature of the event was largely overshadowed by the Munich massacre in the second week , in which eleven Israeli athletes and coaches and a West German police officer at Olympic village were killed by Black September terrorists . The 1972 Summer Olympics were the second Summer Olympics to be held in Germany , after the 1936 Games in Berlin , which had taken place under the Nazi regime . The West German Government had been eager to have the Munich Olympics present a democratic and optimistic Germany to the world , as shown by the Games ' official motto , Die Heiteren Spiele , or the cheerful Games . The logo of the Games was a blue solar logo ( the Bright Sun ) by Otl Aicher , the designer and director of the visual conception commission . The Olympic mascot , the dachshund Waldi , was the first officially named Olympic mascot . The Olympic Fanfare was composed by Herbert Rehbein . The Soviet Union won the most gold and overall medals . The Olympic Park ( Olympiapark ) is based on Frei Otto 's plans and after the Games became a Munich landmark . The competition sites , designed by architect Günther Behnisch , included the Olympic swimming hall , the Olympics Hall ( Olympiahalle , a multipurpose facility ) and the Olympic Stadium ( Olympiastadion ) , and an Olympic village very close to the park . The design of the stadium was considered revolutionary , with sweeping canopies of acrylic glass stabilized by metal ropes , used on such a large scale for the first time .
Abdollah Movahed Ardabili ( Persian : عبدالله موحد اردبیلی , born March 20 , 1940 ) is a retired Iranian lightweight freestyle wrestler . He competed at the 1964 , 1968 and 1972 Olympics and won a gold medal in 1968 . He served as flag bearer for Iran at the Opening Ceremony of the 1970 Asian Games , and won a gold medal a few days later .
At the 1972 Summer Olympics , 20 wrestling events were contested , all for men . There were 10 weight classes in Greco-Roman wrestling and 10 classes in freestyle wrestling .
The 1976 Winter Olympics , officially known as the XII Olympic Winter Games ( French : XIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver , German : Olympische Winterspiele 1976 ) , were a winter multi-sport event which was celebrated February 4-15 , 1976 in Innsbruck , Austria . It was the second time the Tyrolean city hosted the Games , which were awarded to Innsbruck after Denver , the original host city , withdrew in 1972 .
Lotfollah Kia Shemshaki ( born 1 June 1938 ) is an Iranian alpine skier . He competed at the 1964 , 1968 and the 1972 Winter Olympics .
The 1976 Summer Olympics , officially called the Games of the XXI Olympiad ( French : Les XXIes olympiques d'été ) , was an international multi-sport event in Montreal , Quebec , Canada , in 1976 , and the first Olympic Games held in Canada . Montreal was awarded the rights to the 1976 Games on May 12 , 1970 , at the 69th IOC Session in Amsterdam , over the bids of Moscow and Los Angeles . It was the first and , so far , only Summer Olympic Games to be held in Canada . Calgary and Vancouver later hosted the Winter Olympic Games in 1988 and 2010 , respectively . Twenty-nine countries , mostly African , boycotted the Montreal Games when the International Olympic Committee ( IOC ) refused to ban New Zealand , after the New Zealand national rugby union team had toured South Africa earlier in 1976 in defiance of the United Nations ' calls for a sporting embargo . The Soviet Union won the most gold and overall medals .
Moslem Eskandar-Filabi ( Persian : مسلم اسكندر فيلابی , born 26 March 1944 ) or Eskandar Filabi is a retired Iranian heavyweight wrestler who won four gold medals at the Asian Games in 1966-1974 . Filabi also competed at the 1968 , 1972 and 1976 Summer Olympics with the best result of fourth place in 1972 ; he served as the flag carrier for Iran at the 1976 Games .
At the 1976 Summer Olympics in Montreal , 20 wrestling events were contested , all for men only . There were 10 weight classes in each of the freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling disciplines .
The 1988 Summer Olympics ( Korean : 서울 하계 올림픽 ; RR : Seoul Hagye Ollimpik [ sʌ.ul ɦaɡje olːimpʰik ] ) , officially known as the Games of the XXIV Olympiad , was an international multi-sport event celebrated from 17 September to 2 October 1988 in Seoul , South Korea . In the Seoul Games , 159 nations were represented by a total of 8,391 athletes : 6,197 men and 2,194 women . 237 events were held and 27,221 volunteers helped to prepare the Olympics . 11,331 media ( 4,978 written press and 6,353 broadcasters ) showed the Games all over the world . These were the last Olympic Games for the Soviet Union and East Germany , as both ceased to exist before the next Olympic Games . The Soviets utterly dominated the medal table , winning 55 gold and 132 total medals . No country came close to this result after 1988 . The games were boycotted by North Korea and its ally , Cuba . Ethiopia , Albania and the Seychelles did not respond to the invitations sent by the IOC . Nicaragua did not participate due to athletic and financial considerations . The participation of Madagascar had been expected , and their team was expected at the opening ceremony of 160 nations . However , the country withdrew because of financial reasons .
Taekwondo was a demonstration sport at the 1988 Summer Olympics in Seoul . It was the first time that the sport was included in the Olympic program ; it would become an official sport twelve years later at the 2000 Games . A total of 120 men and 62 women from 35 different nations competed in eight different weight classes . Each event featured a single-elimination tournament to determine the winner . Competition was held at the Changchung Gymnasium from September 17 to 20 . Fighters from the host nation of South Korea won nine of the sixteen events .
The 1992 Summer Olympics ( Spanish : Juegos Olímpicos de Verano de 1992 , Catalan : Jocs Olímpics d'estiu de 1992 ) , officially known as the Games of the XXV Olympiad , was an international multi-sport event held in Barcelona , Spain from 25 July to 9 August 1992 . Beginning in 1994 , the International Olympic Committee decided to hold the Summer and Winter Olympics in alternating even-numbered years . The 1992 Summer Olympics was the last occasion for the Summer and Winter Olympics to be staged in the same year . This Olympiad was the first since the end of the Cold War , and was unaffected by boycotts for the first time since the 1972 Olympiad . The Unified Team topped the medal table , winning 45 gold and 112 overall medals .
Alireza Soleimani Karbalaei ( Persian : علیرضا سلیمانی کربلایی , 2 February 1956 - 21 May 2014 ) was an Iranian heavyweight freestyle wrestler . He was the first , and to date the only , Iranian to win the world superheavyweight title , which he achieved in 1989 . He served as the flag bearer for Iran at the 1992 Summer Olympics , where he placed sixth . Besides freestyle wrestling , Soleimani was a champion in varzesh-e bastani and won the Pahlevan of Iran title and armband in Pahlevani traditional wrestling six times .
At the 1992 Summer Olympics in Barcelona , 20 wrestling events were contested , for men only . There were 10 weight classes in each of the freestyle wrestling and Greco-Roman wrestling disciplines .
The 1996 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XXVI Olympiad , commonly known as Atlanta 1996 , and also referred to as the Centennial Olympic Games , were an international multi-sport event that was held from July 19 to August 4 , 1996 , in Atlanta , Georgia , U.S . These Games , which were the fourth Summer Olympics to be hosted by the United States , marked the centennial of the 1896 Summer Olympics in Athens - the inaugural edition of the modern Olympic Games . They were also the first since 1924 to be held in a different year from a Winter Olympics , under a new IOC practice implemented in 1994 to hold the Summer and Winter Games in alternating , even-numbered years . More than 10,000 athletes from 197 National Olympic Committees competed in 26 sports , including the Olympic debuts of beach volleyball , mountain biking , and softball , as well as the new disciplines of lightweight rowing and women 's football ( soccer ) . 24 countries made their Summer Olympic debut in Atlanta , including eleven former Soviet republics participating for the first time as independent nations . The hosting United States led the medal count with a total of 101 medals , and the most gold ( 44 ) and silver ( 32 ) medals out of all countries . The U.S. topped the medal count for the first time since 1984 , and for the first time since 1968 in a non-boycotted Summer Olympics . Notable performances during competition included those of Andre Agassi - who became the first men 's singles tennis player to combine a career Grand Slam with an Olympic gold medal , Donovan Bailey - who set a new world record of 9.84 for the men 's 100 meters , and Lilia Podkopayeva - who became the second gymnast to win an individual event gold after winning the all-round title in the same Olympics . The festivities were marred by violence on July 27 , when Eric Rudolph detonated pipe bombs at Centennial Olympic Park - a downtown park that was built to serve as a public focal point for the Games ' festivities , killing 1 and injuring 111 . In 2003 , Rudolph confessed to the bombing and a series of related attacks on abortion centers and a gay bar , and was sentenced to life in prison . He claimed that the bombing was meant to protest the U.S. government 's sanctioning of abortion on demand . The Games turned a profit , helped by record revenue from sponsorship deals and broadcast rights , and reliance on private funding ( as opposed to the extensive public funding used on later Olympics ) , among other factors .
The shooting competitions at the 1996 Summer Olympics took place at the Wolf Creek Shooting Complex near Atlanta , United States . Competitions were held in men 's events and women 's events . For men 's and women 's double trap , it was the first Olympic competition , a women 's shotgun event also had been added . In addition , the number of targets in trap and skeet had been reduced from 200 to 125 , and the final rules for all events were changed so that any post-final ties would be broken by shoot-offs , as opposed to the previous rule that preferred the shooter with worse qualification score and better final score .
The 1998 Winter Olympics , officially the XVIII Olympic Winter Games ( French : Les XVIIIes Jeux olympiques d'hiver ) ( Japanese : 第十八回オリンピック冬季競技大会 , Dai Jūhachi-kai Orinpikku Tōkikyōgi Taikai ) , and commonly known as Nagano 1998 , was a winter multi-sport event celebrated from 7 to 22 February 1998 that were centered in Nagano , Japan . The Games also took place in the nearby mountain communities of Hakuba , Karuizawa , Nozawa Onsen , and Yamanouuchi . The city of Nagano had previously been a candidate to host the 1940 Winter Olympics ( which were later cancelled ) , as well as the 1972 Winter Olympics , but each time Nagano was eliminated at the national level by Sapporo . The games hosted 2,176 athletes from 72 nations competing in 7 sports and 68 events . The number of athletes and participating nations were a record at the time . The Games saw the introduction of women 's ice hockey , curling and snowboarding . National Hockey League players were allowed to participate in the men 's ice hockey for the first time . Five countries , Azerbaijan , Kenya , Macedonia , Uruguay , and Venezuela made their debut at the Winter Olympics . The athlete who won the most medals at these games was the Russian cross-country skier Larisa Lazutina who won five medals , including three gold . The Norwegian cross-country skier Bjørn Dæhlie won four medals , including three gold , which took his total Olympic medal total to 12 , including eight gold , which is a record for Winter Olympics . In ice hockey , professionals from the North American National Hockey League participated for the first time . Despite their participation , the Czech men 's ice hockey team won the gold medal .
Hassan Shemshaki ( born 22 May 1974 ) is an Iranian alpine skier . He competed in the men 's slalom at the 1998 Winter Olympics .
Alpine Skiing at the 1998 Winter Olympics consisted of ten alpine skiing events . The speed events were held at Hakuba and the technical events at Shiga Kogen . There were a number of race postponements due to weather ; the events began on 10 February and ended on 21 February .
The 2000 Summer Olympics , officially known as the Games of the XXVII Olympiad and commonly known as Sydney 2000 or the Millennium Olympic Games/Games of the New Millennium , was an international multi-sport event held between 15 September and 1 October 2000 in Sydney , New South Wales , Australia . It was the second time the Summer Olympics were held in Australia , and also the Southern Hemisphere , the first being in Melbourne , Victoria , in 1956 .
Amir Reza Khadem Azghadi ( Persian : امیررضا خادم ازغدی , born February 10 , 1970 ) is an Iranian wrestler who won Olympic bronze medals in 1992 and 1996 . He finished fourth at the 2000 Summer Olympics , and he won the 1991 World Championships , He also won a bronze medal at the 1990 World Championships and the 1992 and 1993 Asian Championships and a silver medal at the 1991 Asian Championships and the 1994 Asian Games . He was trained by his father Mohammad Khadem , and his younger brother Rasoul Khadem was another world champion and an Olympic gold medalist of freestyle wrestling . He is currently Vice Minister of Youth Affairs and Sports in Legal , Parliamentary and Provincial Affairs , has been appointed for the position on 30 December 2013 .
Wrestling at the 2000 Summer Olympics took place in the Sydney Convention and Exhibition Centre and was split into two disciplines , Freestyle and Greco-Roman which are further divided into different weight categories . The freestyle competitions were held from 28 September to 1 October , and the Greco-Roman events were held from 24 to 27 September . In the freestyle 76 kg Alexander Leipold of Germany originally placed first , but was disqualified after he tested positive for Nandrolone .
The 2002 Winter Olympics , officially the XIX Olympic Winter Games and commonly known as Salt Lake 2002 , was a winter multi-sport event that was celebrated from 8 to 24 February 2002 in and around Salt Lake City , Utah , United States . 2,399 athletes from 78 nations participated in 78 events in fifteen disciplines , held throughout 165 sporting sessions . The 2002 Winter Olympics and the 2002 Paralympic Games were both organized by the Salt Lake Organizing Committee ( SLOC ) , the first time in Olympic and Paralympic history that both events were organized by a single committee . Utah became the fifth state in the United States to host the Olympic Games , after Missouri , New York , California , and Georgia . These were the first Olympic Games under the IOC presidency of Jacques Rogge . The opening ceremony was held on February 8 , 2002 , and sporting competitions were held up until the closing ceremony on February 24 , 2002 . Production for both ceremonies was designed by Seven Nielsen , and music for both ceremonies was directed by Mark Watters . Salt Lake City became the most populous area ever to have hosted the Winter Olympics , although the two subsequent host cities ' populations were larger . Following a trend , the 2002 Olympic Winter Games were also larger than all prior Winter Games , with 10 more events than the 1998 Winter Olympics in Nagano , Japan . Norway won the most gold medals while Germany won the most number of medals . The Salt Lake Games faced a bribery scandal and some local opposition during the bid . Nevertheless , from sporting and business standpoints , this was one of the most successful Winter Olympiads in history ; records were set in both the broadcasting and marketing programs .
Bagher Kalhor ( born 23 May 1979 ) is an Iranian alpine skier . He competed in the men 's slalom at the 2002 Winter Olympics .
Alpine skiing at the 2002 Winter Olympics consisted of ten events held February 10-23 in the United States near Salt Lake City , Utah . The downhill , super-G , and combined events were held at Snowbasin , the giant slaloms at Park City , and the slaloms at adjacent Deer Valley .
The 2004 Summer Olympics ( Greek : Θερινοί Ολυμπιακοί Αγώνες 2004 , Therinoí Olympiakoí Agónes 2004 ) , officially known as the Games of the XXVIII Olympiad and commonly known as Athens 2004 , was a premier international multi-sport event held in Athens , Greece , from 13 to 29 August 2004 with the motto Welcome Home . The Games saw 10,625 athletes compete , some 600 more than expected , accompanied by 5,501 team officials from 201 countries . There were 301 medal events in 28 different sports . Athens 2004 marked the first time since the 1996 Summer Olympics that all countries with a National Olympic Committee were in attendance . 2004 also marked the return of the Olympic Games to the city where they began . Having previously hosted the Olympics in 1896 , Athens became one of only four cities to have hosted the Summer Olympic Games on two separate occasions at the time ( together with Paris , London , and Los Angeles ) . A new medal obverse was introduced at these Games , replacing the design by Giuseppe Cassioli that had been used since the 1928 Games . This rectified the long lasting mistake of using a depiction of the Roman Colosseum rather than a Greek venue . The new design features the Panathenaic Stadium . The 2004 Summer Games were hailed as unforgettable , dream games by IOC President Jacques Rogge , and left Athens with a significantly improved infrastructure , including a new airport , ring road , and subway system . There have been arguments ( mostly in popular media ) regarding the cost of the 2004 Athens Summer Games and their possible contribution to the 2010-2018 Greek government-debt crisis , however , there is little or no evidence for such a correlation . The 2004 Olympics were generally deemed to be a success , with the rising standard of competition amongst nations across the world .
Arash Miresmaeili ( Persian : آرش میراسماعیلی , born March 3 , 1981 in Khorramabad ) is an Iranian judoka . He now serves as the President of the Iranian Judo Federation .
Judo at the 2004 Summer Olympics took place in the Ano Liossia Olympic Hall and featured 368 judoka competing for 14 gold medals with seven different weight categories in both the men 's and women 's competitions . Japan dominated the event by taking 8 gold and 2 silver medals . Gold and silver medals in each weight class were determined by a single-elimination bracket . There was a repechage for those who are eliminated by one of the eventual semifinalists . Since there are four semifinalists , this means that four of the losers of the round of 32 ( i.e. , 25% ) faced four of the losers from the round of 16 ( 50% ) . The winners of these matches faced the four judokas who have lost in the quarterfinals . The winners , then , of these four matches faced each other to narrow the repechage field down to two judokas . Until this stage , the repechage has been segregated into two distinct halves , with each successive competitor facing another one from the same half of the original bracket ; but each of the two judokas who emerge from the repechage challenged the loser of the other bracket 's semifinal . ( Since these two always come from opposite halves of the original bracket , they could not have faced each other already . ) The winners of these two matches were each awarded a bronze medal , making judo unusual among Olympic events in not determining a single third-place finisher . There was controversy in the men 's competition , when Iranian competitor and two-times world champion Arash Miresmaeili weighed in overweight and was disqualified before a match in which he would have faced Israeli judoka Ehud Vaks . Miresmaeili 's comments strongly suggested that he had intentionally disqualified himself so as not to compete against an Israeli .