PhotoTEHRAN — The Iranian wrestler was cruising through the match, looking like a sure bet to defeat his Russian opponent. But the Iranian wrestler was not injured. As Iranian news outlets reported on Tuesday, he said his real problem was that his coach had told him to throw the match to avoid facing an Israeli opponent in the next round of the tournament. Mr. Karimi-Machiani is easily defeating his opponent but after a couple of minutes his coach shouts, “Alireza, lose.” The Iranian wrestler shakes his head and continues, until his coach once again shouts at him. Advertisement Continue reading the main story“I was told that the Israeli wrestler defeated his American rival, and that I must lose to avoid facing an Israeli opponent,” Mr. Karimi-Machiani said in an interview with the Iranian Students News Agency.

Source: New York Times November 28, 2017 13:41 UTC