Presenting Pahlevani armband, as a mark of traditional wrestling championship, has been formally practiced since 1944 in Iran, though it has ancient roots.
So far, 25 Pahlevans have received the armband in 55 editions of the national event.
Mostafa Tousi, Ziaeddin Mirghavami, Abolghasem Sakhdari, Abbas Zandi, Ahmad Vafadar, Gholamreza Takhti, Yaghoub-Ali Shorouzi, Mansour Mehdizadeh and Reza Soukhteh-Saraei received the armband before the 1979 Islamic Revolution.
The first Pahlevani armband after the Islamic Revolution and establishment of the Islamic Republic was awarded by Ayatollah Seyyed Ali Khamenei, then President and current Supreme Leader in Iran, to Mohammad Reza Toupchi.
Ayatollah Khamenei once again awarded the armband, this time as the Supreme Leader of Islamic Revolution, in an unprecedented event in 2011 to Arash Mardani, a traditional Iranian Zoorkhaneh athlete.
Pahlevani wrestling competitions are held in Tehran, with 300 wrestlers competing to win the championship and receive the title of “Pahlevan”.
The winner will receive the Pahlevani armband from President Raisi.
Alireza Soleimani, Mohammad Hassan Mohebbi, Mohammad Reza Toupchi, Majid Ansari, Ayyoub Bani-Nosrat, Mahmoud Miran, Hamid Ghashang, Mahmoud Mohammadi, Amin Rashidlamir, Abdolreza Kargar, Shahrokh Sedaghatizadeh, Fardin Masoumi, Arash Mardani, Jaber Sadeghzadeh, Ahmad Mirzapoor and Parviz Hadi have received the title and armband after the Islamic Revolution.
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