Amirreza Masoumi’s Father: "Besides Armenia, There Are Other Options"

Earlier, Sportaran.com reported on the intention of Iranian freestyle wrestler Amirreza Masoumi (125 kg) to change his sporting citizenship and compete for Armenia. However, it turns out that the 20-year-old athlete has received other offers as well.

The Iranian portal Varzesh3 contacted the wrestler’s father, Fardin Masoumi, who himself previously competed for the Iranian national team. He confirmed that his son is indeed planning to switch countries but that no final decision has been made yet.

"For now, we cannot say anything definitive. Besides Armenia, there are two other serious offers. We need to carefully discuss all options with Amirreza," said Fardin Masoumi.

According to some reports, Azerbaijan has also made an offer to Masoumi.

Why Does Masoumi Want to Leave the Iranian National Team?
Despite impressive success at the junior and youth levels (including world championship gold), Masoumi has been unable to secure a permanent spot in Iran’s main lineup. The primary reason is fierce competition from the team’s current leader, Amir Hossein Zare—a two-time world champion and Olympic medalist.

The situation escalated after Masoumi’s recent loss in the final of the prestigious Takhti Cup, where the judging sparked controversy. This episode may have been the final straw, pushing the wrestler to consider switching national teams.

According to Varzesh3, Masoumi did not attend the Iranian national team’s training camp despite being invited and instead traveled to Yerevan.

To switch national teams, Masoumi will need official approval from the Iranian Wrestling Federation. If denied, he would have to observe a two- or three-year waiting period from his last appearance for Iran.

Clearly, the wrestler’s main goal is the 2028 Olympics in Los Angeles. And if qualifying with Iran seems extremely difficult, changing citizenship could be his chance to fulfill his Olympic dream.

An official announcement remains pending. Sportaran.com will continue to monitor developments.

It is worth noting that the Armenian national team currently lacks a primary representative in the super heavyweight freestyle wrestling category and is in need of reinforcement.

At the 2025 European Championships in the 125 kg weight class, Armenia had no representative, and at the 2024 tournament, Leva Gevorgyan competed but lost in the first bout. In the 2021, 2022, and 2023 European Championships, Armenia also had no wrestlers in this weight category.