TEHRAN– Iran’s freestyle wrestling team has finally been awarded the runner-up cup in the 2024 World Championships held in Tirana, Albania, after one of the foreign athletes was downgraded for violating anti-doping rules.
The runner-up cup was handed over to the representative of the Iran Wrestling Federation on Sunday, on the sidelines of the World Youth Wrestling Championships underway in Baku, Azerbaijan.
The position of the Iranian team was elevated following a successful appeal by the federation, in the wake of the disqualification of a Georgian wrestler due to a positive doping test during the tournament in Albania.
Consequently, Muhammad Nokhodi’s bronze medal was upgraded to silver, propelling the team to second place overall, and confirming the runner-up title for it in the 2024 championships.
The cup has been placed in the Iranian Wrestling Museum of Honor. Its official return to Iran marks the nation’s continued success and resilience in the international sports arena.