First reported on IronMind, last week, while most eyes were fixed on the college basketball tournament or Alberto Gonzales, an important event occurred that bridged the gap between sport and world politics. No, Chan Ho Park didn't sit down for tea with Kim Jong Il. Rather, it was more on the destructive end of the international relations bridge. Iran, a country renowned for it's avid support of Olympic weightlifting, played host to its first World Strongman Cup event. To the dismay of event organizers, competitors, and fans alike, the whole thing started out poorly and quickly went downhill.
First, the equipment was nowhere to be found. All the competitors arrived on time for the event, slated to start on Wednesday, but none of the equipment arrived until Friday. Simultaneously, the organizers ran into money troubles: they didn't have any. This prompted most of the competitors (many of whom paid their own way and took off work to attend with the promise of reimbursement) to demand payment up front before competing. It took some time but, finally, an agreement was reached and the show got under way.
The first event, the log press, went off without a hitch. That would prove to be the first and last thing that did. Shortly after the event was finished, two fans approached Norwegian strongman competitor, Arild Haugen. "Two nice girls wanted a photo with me, so I lifted them up. The police grabbed the girls and put them straight in jail." said Haugen. Iranian officials immediately stopped the competition.
Haugen was not arrested, but he was made to copy an apology in his own writing to deliver to Iranian officials. He was forced to sign it Arild 'Stupid' Haugen. Fully expecting to be arrested for his "crime", Haugen kept a cool head throughout the whole ordeal. "I knew they wouldn't kill me." he said. Another spectator, however, may not have been as lucky. While telling some of the competitors about the horrors of the current regime, the spectator received a call telling him he was about to be arrested. He reportedly started crying and told the competitors that he knew he was going to be killed. Other spectators pleaded with competitors, "Please tell the world we need help."
The unfortunate chain of events prompted 2001 World's Strongest Man, and current president of Pro Strongman Norway, Svend Karlsen, to declare that no Norwegian athletes will compete in Iran.
Posted by Ben Hanson at 9:37 AM