South Asia Center Nonresident Senior Fellow Barbara Slavin writes for Al-Monitor about wrestling as a US-Iranian public diplomacy tool:
American wrestler Jacob Curby died before he could fulfill his dream of competing in the Olympics.
But a competition established in his name will mark another milestone in the accelerating sports diplomacy between Iran and the United States.
In the past, the competition has attracted teams from less accomplished wrestling nations, Christina “Kiki” Kelley, team leader for USA Wrestling and a major supporter of the Curby Cup, told Al-Monitor. “Iran is No. 1 in the world for Greco-Roman so it’s a huge deal to get them.”