Most Popular Sports in Iran

Throughout history sports have long offered national, regional, cultural, and ethnic groups a way to test themselves against one another and to demonstrate how strong they are compared to other groups. While the Greeks had the tradition of the Olympic games, the Iranians had an equally rich three thousand plus year history of sports. Most sporting traditions are born of military needs such as horseback riding, archery, and the combination of the two. Greek historian Herodotus noted that Persians were all taught riding and archery skills from a very young age and that they were considered as important as walking in some cases. Today’s militaries don't fight by shooting arrows from horseback any longer but our strong affiliation with sport is born from those military traditions.

Football

Football was established in Iran over many decades, officially in 1898 when Iranian teams pitted themselves against British teams. Football was introduced to the curriculum at the American School in Tehran in 1910, educating Iranians in the rules of the game. The first Iranian football club "Iran Club" was founded a decade later in 1920. Since their founding, Iranian teams have engaged in matches against foreign teams from the region including Russian and Afghani teams. From the 1970’s the Iranian National Football Team has competed in popular international events like FIFA’s World Cup.

Football is among the most popular modern sports in Iran. Nearly every region and individual city has a local team. Some, like the Esteghlal or Piruzi are so well-known their fame reaches across multiple cities and villages in the country. Some of Iran’s best players have even found themselves playing in some of the best leagues of Europe! Football is so popular in Iranian culture that thousands of fans come to stadiums all over the country to watch and millions more view from home.

Wrestling

Two competitors physically struggling to overpower one another is clearly the type of competition born of military tradition. Wrestling, like archery and horseback riding, is an ancient sport which established itself in many civilizations throughout history. This sport provided men a chance to demonstrate their strength and, in many cases, to establish their place within their community. It is also a way to showcase and hone fighting skills for the military. There are many ancient Persian folk tales about heroes with superior wrestling strength. For Iran, wrestling was a common practice throughout history but it wasn’t until the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran that wrestling became internationally featured. Today there are many famous wrestlers who have taken home medals and international acclaim including Hassan Yazdani, Hamid Sourian, Rasoul Khadem, Alireza Dabir, and Saeid Abdevil.

Chovgan (Polo)

Horse racing is a competitive sport by itself, but the ancient Persians took it one step further. Chovgan was developed in Persia and took off as a sport for nobility across Asia. Today, it is often referred to as Polo and is still one of Iran’s most popular sports. The origins of the sport are documented as far back as 600 BCE by Archaemenid princes who competed wearing their military uniforms. Iranian horsemen demonstrated their war talents by playing polo against teams from near and far, including India. Polo riders were prominent in Iranian stories and poems like that of Siavash and Afrasiab. Today there are 5 main polo clubs: Ghasr-e Firoozeh, Nowroozabad, Army Ground Forces, Kanoon-e Chogan and Nesf-e Jahan. Teams compete in the foothills of the Alborz mountains on horseback, but not just any horses, purpose bred Arabian horses

Sporting Events

Iran not only boasts a wide range of sports teams but a wide range of sports competitions. The country regularly hosts boxing tournaments, cycling races, diving competitions, badminton tournaments, and wrestling matches among other national competitions. As mentioned, eyes from around the world first turned to Iran when it hosted the Asian Games in 1974, but they didn’t stop there. In 1976, Iran hosted the European Karate Championships, honoring its rich history of martial arts.

Taking advantage of the winter weather, Iran hosted the Asian Alpine Ski Championships in 2018, bringing together Asian competitors to the rugged mountains of the Iranian landscape. In 2011 they hosted the Asian Archery Championships, once more honoring their history of archery. The country regularly hosts the Women’s Islamic Games, and it has done so in 1993, 1997, 2001, and 2005. Of course, not every international sporting event is one that showcases brawn; some highlight brainpower like the Women’s World Chess Championship in 2017 or the FIDE World Chess Championship in 2000.

No matter the event, it attracts large crowds of supporters; Iranians love to watch sports not just at live events or on television, but through livestream websites in the Middle East. These streaming sites offer an opportunity for fans who:

• Want to follow their favorite team during an away game, but can’t make it to another city or country
• Are under quarantine orders or simply want to social distance yet still want to watch a game
• Have a scheduling conflict that precludes attendance at a live game, and also an at-home viewing on TV but not on a mobile device.