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Sports in the Pahlavi Era
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Click here to see full
image of Iranian boys and girls at the Stadium
together with a full description of the "Aryamehr Stadium"
Sport, in the sense of organized competitive physical excercise may well have begun in Iran. Greek historian Strabo relates how in Achaemenian times young Persians, from the age of five to twenty-four were trained "to use the bow, to throw the javelin, to ride horseback, and to speak the truth", and how every morning they would go on organized runs in groups of 50. He also mentions that "prizes are offered by the king for victory in running and in the four other contests of the pentathlon".
Photo left, Farah Pahlavi Empress of Iran decorates a winning Iranian athlete.Such sports clearly provide excellent training for young soldiers, and it was probably for similar reasons that in the medieval period the Zurkhaneh came into being. Zurkhaneh gymnasia still exist in every town in Iran, where the athletes, known as pahlavans, train their bodies to perform prodigious feats of strength. They use age-old implements such as heavy clubs and chains, which are manipulated to the mystic chant of the morshed and the beat of a drum.
With this background it is not surprising that Iranians are particularly good at wrestling and weightlifting. Since 1948, the first year in which Iran participated, the country has won 29 Olympic medals in these two sports.
Polo is traditionally an Iranian sport, indeed it probably originated or at least developed into an organized sport in Iran. The Polo Federation of Iran arranges matches with visiting polo teams from the United States, Britain, Morocco and neighbouring countries.
Horse-racing and equestrian sports were also very popular, and every spring and autum race- meetings are held in Tehran, most of the race-horses being supplied by Turkoman farmers from the north-east of Iran, who also hold their own local competitions. Racing is also held in the winter months in south Iran, mostly at Abadan and Ahvaz, the horses there being Persian-bred Arabs.
Another sport which has gained in popularity in recent years was show-jumping. Competitions were held in spring and autumn by a number of Tehran and provincial clubs. In 1976 a four-day 120- km trail ride event was held for the first time.
Football is the most popular spectator sport, and Iran's national teams have had considerable success in regional as well as international tournaments. In fact, the Iranian team has twice been the winner of the Asian Cup (in 1968 and 1972) and won the football tournament of the 7th Asian Games in 1974. Iran also qualified for the Olympic Games football tournaments in 1964, 1972 and 1976.
Skiing is one of the favorite winter sports, and a number of excellent resorts are within easy reach of Tehran. Mountaineering has also become very popular, especially in the mountains just north of Tehran.
In 1974 the 7th Asian Games were successfully held in Tehran. The Aryamehr Sports Complex, where most of the sixteen sports on the programme of the Games were held, was one of the most concentrated and modern sports centres in the world. In 1977, the City of Tehran has announced its candidacy to bid for the Olympic Games in the summer of 1984. This was later cancelled for obvious reasons.
Football, volleyball, basketball, swimming, gymnastics and athletics are the most popular sports in the schools, where physical education has played an important role since the reign of Reza Shah the Great. During the Fifth Plan period, $200 million was budgeted for physical education, and most of this was to be spent in improving sports facilities in schools and provincial towns where they are most needed.
Related Topics:
Ancient traditional sports the "Pahlevans" of Iran, soon on this
site
Sportsmen and women of Iran - look at Album
1
Soccer enthusiast, Crown Prince Reza
Pahlavi
Farah Pahlavi and the National soccer team at Tehran's Asian Games -
look at Album 3
A link to "Sportestan's" illustrated article on skiing evolution
in Iran
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