Wrestling Bridges Iran-US Gap Days Before Nations Meet Over Nuclear Talks
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But amid the tough talk and the steep U.S. sanctions, we experienced a rare moment of harmony between the U.S. and Iran today.
After several requests and hours of waiting, we were allowed into a stadium in Tehran to see the U.S. wrestling team compete at the invitation of Iran.
We counted three women in the arena of 15,000, including an ABC News producer.
Jordan Burroughs, who trained in Nebraska for the Olympics, defeated an Iranian for the gold medal in London. The cheers for him were deafening — “Jordan! Jordan! Jordan!” — and he won.
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“America’s a great country,” he said after the victory. “Iran is a great country, too. Hopefully, we can come together.” Soon after, President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad appeared, waving to the crowd — and to us.
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http://abcnews.go.com/blogs/headlines/2013/02/wrestling-bridges-iran-us-gap-days-before-nations-meet-over-nuclear-talks/
US Wrestlers Shake Hands With Ahmadinejad
TEHRAN, Iran (AP) — In a rare gesture of goodwill, members of the U.S. freestyle wrestling team shook hands with Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad on Friday after finishing third in a tournament.
Iran and the U.S. have found a common ground in wrestling lately after the sport was kicked out of the Olympics, with both countries intent on seeing it restored to the program.
Iran won the freestyle wrestling World Cup on Friday after beating Russia 6-1 in the final, with the Americans finishing third after defeating Belarus by the same score. Ahmadinejad then attended the awards ceremony, shaking hands with some members of the U.S. team and posing for pictures.
Iran's public sports broadcaster showed parts of the ceremony live.
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http://thegardenisland.com/sports_wire/us-wrestlers-shake-hands-with-ahmadinejad/article_7e432a4c-5897-5fe5-98d6-b1c90e954c65.html
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