According to Imna News Agency and quoted by the Wrestling Federation, the selection cycle of the national freestyle wrestling team has been compiled with the aim of observing justice, merit-oriented and transparency in the selection process of national wrestlers. In this cycle, efforts have been made to provide the opportunity for all the talented wrestlers of the country to gain the merit of being in the national team by relying on their real performance in the domestic and international arenas.
Yazdani and world medalists are exempt from the national championship
According to the announcement of the wrestling federation, non-attendance in the stages of the cycle and preparatory camps means exclusion from it. Also, in order to fulfill the national interests, the presence of all members of the technical staff (even those who are not in national uniform) in the camps, tournaments and programs of the national team is mandatory, and in case of non-compliance, punitive suspensions will follow until the end of the technical year. Also, the medal winners of the world championships in Zagreb, Croatia, and the gold medalists of the Islamic countries games are allowed to participate in the final stage, subject to participation in the camps and competitions considered by the technical staff, and Hassan Yazdani is exempted from participating in the national championships due to his brilliant record and shoulder surgery, and after the national championships, he will enter the cycle with the opinion of the technical staff and the approval of the federation.
Friendship of the wrestling federation to those absent in the process of the selection cycle
Croatia’s World Championship medalists need one victory and their rivals need two victories to qualify for the Bahrain World Championship. In case of non-participation due to injury, it is possible to continue working in the cycle only with the approval of the authorized doctor of the federation, the medical committee, the technical staff and the agreement of the federation. In the event of unforeseen events or the possibility of refereeing mistakes and changing the result (after confirming the opinion of the referees’ commission), changes will be applied to the cycle with the proposal of the technical staff and the approval of the federation. Failure to comply with camp rules (order, discipline, moral issues, technical performance, etc.) has a direct effect on the selection of national players.
There is a possibility that during the implementation of the cycle, talented wrestlers will be identified by the technical staff and will be sent to international tournaments with the opinion of the federation, and if they get brilliant results, they will be invited to the national team camp or allocated a quota to continue the cycle. If the wrestler wins a medal in the 2026 World Youth Championship and the technical performance of the selected person is not favorable, then with the recognition of the technical staff and the approval of the federation, he will be allowed to participate in the adult competitions or the hopes of the world. If the medalists of the Zagreb World Championships want to change their weight, they should start their work from the national championships.
Priority for the participation of Omid age group wrestlers in the Asian Championship
In the selection process of the national freestyle wrestling team for the Asian Championship, priority is given to wrestlers in the Omid age group; provided that they have the ability to participate in the senior category in terms of technical and international performance in the competitions considered by the technical staff, while the medalists of the national freestyle wrestling team in the 2025 World Championships in Croatia, if the results of other contenders in the national championships and their performance in international tournaments are not favorable and do not attract the opinion of the technical staff, they will have the chance to participate in the Asian Championship, also in the weights that the technical staff of the national team aims to improve the international ranking of wrestlers or If the technical standard of the current adult national wrestlers recognizes the necessity of participation outside the age group of Omid, it can send the desired wrestler with the approval of the technical staff and the approval of the federation.
Also, the selection of the national team under the age of 23 to participate in the Asian and World Championships is based on this cycle and the national youth team.
Description of cycle process in decimal weights
57 kg: All national team contenders are required to start their journey from the national championship. If the champion of the country is of the age group of Omid and has a clear international record, he can be directly selected as Iran’s representative in the Asian Championship. Otherwise, the assignment of the desired national team will be determined in the international tournament. Also, if the champion of the country is older than Omid (adult), he will participate in one of the international tournaments determined by the technical staff for the purpose of technical benchmark and evaluation of the level of preparation. The result of this tournament will be effective in deciding to participate in the final stage of his national team’s selection cycle. If the person sent to the Asian Championship is in the age group of Omid and performs brilliantly in terms of the technical staff in this competition, he will have a high chance of wearing the national team jersey for the world championships.
Weight 61 kg:
Due to winning the silver medal of the World Championships, Croatia has the permission to participate in the final stage. If the champion of the country is from the age group of Omid (under 23 years old), after the end of the national championship competition, in order to measure the ability at the international level, he will be sent to a foreign tournament approved by the technical staff of the national freestyle wrestling team. Also, if the mentioned wrestler achieves a good result in the international tournament (winning a medal or significant technical victories), he will be selected as Iran’s representative in the Asian Championship. In addition to these cases, if the country’s champion fails to achieve the required result in the international tournament, the technical staff can decide to send him to the Asian Championship as the main national team in weight 61 kg after examining the technical conditions and performance of Ahmad Javan. If the national champion is from the senior category, after winning the national championship, he will participate in an international tournament approved by the technical staff of the national freestyle wrestling team for the purpose of technical benchmark and evaluation of the level of international preparation. The results of this tournament will be influential for deciding the continuation of the selection cycle of the national team.
Weight 65 kg: Rahman Amouzad has the permission to participate in the final stage due to winning the gold medal of the Croatian World Championship. If the national champion is under the age of 23 (hopefully), after the end of the national championship, he will be sent to a foreign tournament approved by the national team’s technical staff in order to evaluate his ability at the international level. If the mentioned wrestler achieves a favorable result in the international tournament (winning a medal or significant technical victories), he will be selected as Iran’s representative in the Asian Championship. Also, at the discretion of the technical staff, Rahman Amouzad will be sent to the Asian Championship or an international tournament. If the national champion of the adult category does not have a successful technical performance in the international tournament, Rahman Amouzad will be selected as the national team of our country in the World Championships in Bahrain if he wins a medal in one of the sending competitions. In addition to these cases, if the national champion is over 23 years old (adult), after winning the national championship, he will be sent to an international tournament approved by the technical staff, and the results of this tournament will be effective for the continuation of the selection cycle.
Weight 70 kg: All contenders are required to start their journey from the national championships. For sending to the Asian Championship, priority is given to Omid age group (under 23 years old). If the champion of the country is of the age group of Omid and has a clear international record, he can be directly selected as Iran’s representative in the Asian Championship. Otherwise, the task of the national team will be determined in the international tournament. The national champion, if he is an adult and above the age group of Omid, is obliged to participate in international competitions approved by the technical staff of the national team, and his results will be evaluated to continue the selection cycle.
Weight 74 kg: Yunus Emami is allowed to participate in the final stage due to winning the gold medal of the Islamic Games. But the priority for sending to the Asian Championship is with the Omid age group (under 23 years old). If the champion of the country is of the age group of Omid and has a bright international record, he will be selected as the representative of Iran’s national team in the Asian Championship. Otherwise, the technical staff can choose according to the results of international tournaments for the national team of this weight. Also, if the champion of the country is above the age group of Omid (adult), he is required to participate in the international tournament approved by the national team’s technical staff, and the results of this tournament will be influential in the process of the selection cycle and the decision to send him to the Asian Championship.
Weight 79 kg: Mohammad Nakhudi has the permission to participate in the final stage due to winning the bronze medal of the Croatian World Championship. The priority for selecting the national team of this weight in the Asian Championship is with the Omid age category (under 23 years old). If the champion of the country is of the age group of Omid and has a bright international record, he will be sent as Iran’s representative in the Asian Championship. Otherwise, Mohammad Nakhodi will represent Iran in the Asian Games. Also, if the champion of the country is above the age group of Omid (adult), he has permission to participate in the final stage of the cycle and is obliged to participate in the international tournaments selected by the national team’s technical staff. The results of these tournaments will be evaluated to continue the selection cycle
Weight 86 kg: Kamran Ghasempour has the permission to participate in the final stage due to winning the bronze medal of the Croatian World Championship. But the priority of choosing the national team of this weight for the Asian Championship is with the age category of hope (under 23 years old). If the champion of the country is of the age group of hope and has a bright international record, he will be sent as a representative of Iran in the Asian Championship. Otherwise, Kamran Qasempour will represent Iran in the Asian Games. Also, if the champion of the country is an adult and above the age group of Omid, he is obliged to participate in the international tournament chosen by the national team’s technical staff. The results of this tournament will be evaluated to continue the selection cycle and decide on sending to the Asian Championship.
Weight 92 kg: Amirhossein Firozpour has the permission to participate in the final stage due to winning the bronze medal of the Croatian World Championship. The priority of choosing the national team of this weight for the Asian Championship is with the age group of hope (under 23 years old). If the champion of the country is of the age group of hope and has a clear international record, he will be sent as a representative of Iran in the Asian Championship. Otherwise, Amir Hossein Firozpour will represent Iran in the Asian Games. Also, if the champion of the country is an adult and above the age group of Omid, he has the permission to participate in the final stage of the cycle and is obliged to participate in the international tournaments selected by the national team’s technical staff. The results of these tournaments will be influential for the continuation of the selection cycle
Weight 97 kg: Considering Amir Ali Azarpira’s silver medal at the 2025 World Championships in Croatia, he is allowed to participate in the final stage. But the priority is to select the national team for the Asian Championship with the age group of hope (under 23 years old), if the country’s champion is of the age group of hope and has a bright international record, he will be sent as the national team of Iran in the Asian Championship. Otherwise, the international performance of national wrestlers will determine this weight. Also, if the national champion is an adult, he is required to participate in the international tournament selected by the national team’s technical staff, and his results will be reviewed to continue the selection cycle and evaluate his performance.
Weight 125 kg: Amir Hossein Zare has permission to participate in the final stage due to winning the gold medal of the Croatian World Championship. If the national champion is under the age of 23 (Hopefully), after the end of the national championship, he will be sent to a foreign tournament approved by the national team’s technical staff in order to evaluate his ability at the international level. If the desired result is obtained in the international tournament, the said wrestler will be introduced as Iran’s representative in the Asian Championship. Otherwise, Amir Hossein Zare will be sent as Iran’s representative in the Asian Championship. If the national champion of the adult category does not have a successful technical performance in the international tournament, Amir Hossein Zare will be the national team of our country in the Bahrain World Championships if he wins a medal in the Asian Games. If the national champion is over 23 years old (adult), after winning the national championship, he will be sent to an international tournament approved by the technical staff, and the results of this tournament will be effective for the continuation of the selection cycle.
