Morals above Medals

Saeed Faeqi, Deputy, Physical Education Organization

Back with honors from international contests, Iranian wrestlers met with Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei

This brief note recollects a genuine historical story which draws on a solid reference. The world-acclaimed Persian poet Ferdowsi (Hakim Abolqasem Toosi), tells a story in his masterpiece Shahnameh that is highly identical to the Olympic spirit: The two Persian and Ottoman teams were playing a game of polo in front of the Persian rulers. Aiming to demonstrate their might to royal spectators, the home team left the Ottoman rivals no chance of beating the ball. Then, at some point the game was interrupted by the ruler who called the captain of the Persian side and whispered in his ear, “This is not supposed to be a battle; it is a game. Give the other side an opportunity to play.” If there are such virtues as sportsmanship, fair play and morality, then this example is the pure manifest of all. Moreover, poetry of the master of Persian epic Ferdowsi builds strong ties between families, communities, generations and nations. To preserve the genuine Persian culture and identity, Ferdowsi constantly advises the youth to be strong but kind; to avoid sins and worship God.

Ancient inscriptions indicate that wrestling, archery, horse-racing and fencing were popular among Iranians. Also, the game of polo was invented to keep the youth in shape during the time of peace. Polo would awaken a sense of cooperation among the team players. Games such as hockey, rugby, handball and basketball have all originated from polo.

President Khatami, Head of the Physical Education Organization, and Chairman of Iranian Soccer Federation together with national soccer players

Written by the Danish Professor Arthur Christensen, the book “Iran during the Sasanid Rule” mentions that Iranians used to teach their children how to read and write, work with numbers, play polo and chess, ride a horse and hunt. Polo was last played in 1936 Olympic Games when Argentina became the champion. After that, polo was eliminated from the Olympic Games due to high costs of transporting horses and preparing a suitable stadium.
Launched in 1896, the new series of Olympic Games included wrestling and boxing contests – called pancratium by the Greek – in which two contenders used to fight using leather straps with brass spurs. The damage done after each Olympia Festival was heart-rending and such kind of wrestling was banned by the Roman emperor after he conquered Greece.
There is evidence that since the ancient times, Iranians respected values of sportsmanship in a game and never sought victory at any price. It is believed that the word “game” has long been used in Iran. However, winning the game has been valued only when achieved through a demonstration of sportsmanship. Championship and physical strength have been associated with proper deeds and social values. Iranians believed that the world is a battlefield of good and evil. To defeat evil forces, one had to be armed with both strength and dignity.