Iran Wrestling Chief: We Will Skip U23 Worlds If US Denies Visa to Even One Member

Tehran - BORNA - Speaking at a ceremony marking National Wrestling Day, Alireza Dabir referred to the US failure to issue visas for some Iranian coaches ahead of the Junior World Championships, saying, "By denying visas, they are cutting off the heads of our teams."

"We have the U23 World Championships coming up in the United States in October. I have told the president of the United World Wrestling that if the US denies a visa to even one member of our team, we will definitely not send the team," Dabir said.

"It doesn't matter whether we are there or not; what matters is how we are there," he added.

The wrestling federation chief further said, "We will certainly become a strong country, and it is as clear as day to me. We just have to stand firm. The boys at the missile launchers paid the price, and I must pay the price in the same way."

"They didn't issue visas to a few of our coaches—let it be a sacrifice for those martyrs. We cannot always complain. We must stand by our country, our people, and Islam," Dabir concluded.

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