Iran’s Geraei suspended by UWW, faces Olympic ban
Iranian Greco-Roman wrestler Mohammad-Ali Geraei has been handed a provisional suspension from all international events by the United World Wrestling due to an incident at September’s World Championships in Belgrade.
The UWW decision came after the Japan Wrestling Federation lodged a complaint over the Iranian’s misconduct during a 67kg bout featuring his younger Mohammadreza and Kyotaro Sogabe of Japan.
Mohammadreza had a 10-9 advantage over the Japanese but was clearly out of breath with 1:15 minutes left on the clock, when his older brother, who had been knocked out of the 77kg contests earlier, threw a bottle of mineral water on the mat to halt the bout, presumably buying the Iranian some time to restore strength.
A world and Olympic champion in 2021, Mohammadreza held on for an 11-10 victory but a technical-fall humiliation against Azerbaijani Hasrat Javarov in the quarterfinals saw the Iranian eventually settle for a bronze medal.
The international governing body of the sport has demanded explanation from the Iranian federation before announcing the final verdict, but the worst-case scenario could see Geraei be handed a lengthy ban and possibly miss the chance to take part in next summer’s Paris Olympics.
A winner of three world bronze medals, Geraei, 29, was part of the Iranian six-man squad at the Tokyo Olympics two years ago – where, despite some impressive performances, he was unlucky to miss out on a podium finish after a defeat against Japan’s Shohei Yabiku in the bronze medal contest.