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Mar 6, 2003 Imagine waiting your entire life to represent your country in your sport's biggest competition: the World Championships. Years of hard work and practice and concentration are behind you. And now you're entirely focused on the event. You want to succeed for yourself, for your country and for the loyal fans of the sport in the host nation. Now imagine arriving at the World Championship and not being treated like an athlete but as a criminal, with law enforcement officials waiting to take your fingerprints. Sound unlikely? Maybe in some far off uncivilized country? Try the United States! Try the World Freestyle Wrestling Championships! And try an Iranian athlete! If Iran's team of freestyle wrestlers come to the United States this fall to compete in the World Championships, they will first have to be fingerprinted before hitting the mats at Madison Square Garden from September 12-14. Fortunately, Iran's top wrestling officials have decided to stand up against the U.S. authorities and have threatened to boycott the event. The Iran Wrestling Federation even sent a letter to the sport's world governing body FILA saying the championships should be moved elsewhere if the U.S. still wants to fingerprint athletes. And the Iran federation also said Iranian Deputy Head of FILA would not attend the Games as a FILA represent because of the American authorities customs. The fingerprinting orders come down from the U.S. Defense Department and besides Iranians also include citizens from Iraq, Libya and Sudan. This all leaves USA Wrestling officials' hand tied. The Americans just want the event to take place without too much commotion. The championships were already postponed to this September after it was planned to take place in September 2001 – but the attacks on New York and Washington moved the event back. Last September, the U.S. team decided not to send its athletes to the freestyle world championships in Iran after the State Department warned of unspecified threats against the U.S. team. But it's time for the Americans to once and for all bury the hatchet with the Iranians – at least in the sports arena. The Iranians are right in standing up against the ludicrous fingerprinting custom of the United States. Imagine the U.S. Basketball Dream going to Athens to win gold but before hand they had to make a little stop to have fingerprints taken. It's surprising that the Iranian winter athletes even took part in the Salt Lake City Olympics in February 2002 when they were forced to be fingerprinted. These people are athletes only hoping to represent their country in sports. They are not the criminals as which the United States treat them. About the author: David Hein, 28, is living a wonderful life as an American in the former East German cultural capital Leipzig, once dubbed "Little Paris". The former sports editor and sports reporter for Deutsche Presse-Agentur, dpa, and current freelance journalist and English teacher can be reached at heinnews@hotmail.com ------------ Comment on this column in the forum. ------------ |
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