2017 IWF World Championships

Olympic Champion Kianoush Rostami (IRI) May Miss Worlds

Olympic Champion Kianoush Rostami (IRI) May Miss Worlds

Olympic champion and Iranian weightlifter, Kianoush Rostami, has been refused a visa by the United States and may miss Worlds later this month.

Nov 15, 2017 by Armen Hammer
Olympic Champion Kianoush Rostami (IRI) May Miss Worlds

Olympic champion and Iranian weightlifter Kianoush Rostami has been refused a visa by the United States. 

Rosami, an 85kg weightlifter and world record holder, is waiting for a response from a second application which he completed last week. He is hoping to compete at the 2017 International Weightlifting Championships, which begin on November 28 and run through December 6 in Anaheim, California. 


According to Inside The Games, Rostami’s first application was denied by the Department of State due to their wavering doubt of his intent of returning to his home country. Since Rostami just recently joined the national team after having been off the team for almost 11 months after the 2016 Olympic games, Rostami has only been back to high-intensity training for about two months. 


Rostami hopes his second interview with consular officials shows that he just wants to represent his country well in competition and then come back to his home country. Meanwhile, all of his teammates have their visas. Stay tuned to find out the results of Rostami’s second application.