Arash Miresmaeili

Arash Miresmaeili (Persian: آرش میراسماعیلی, born 3 March 1981) is an Iranian judoka.

He has competed in judo. Judo is a sport that involves grappling and throwing.

In March 2019, Miresmaeili became the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Judo Federation. In this role, he helps guide and support judo in Iran. He works to make sure the sport grows and thrives for future athletes.

World Judo Championships

Arash Miresmaeili won gold medals at two World Judo Championships. The first was in 2001 in Munich, Germany. The second was in 2003 in Osaka, Japan. He also won bronze medals in the 2005 World Judo Championships in Cairo, Egypt, and the 2007 World Judo Championships in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.

Athens Olympic Games; controversy

Arash Miresmaeili was hoped to win the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and carried Iran’s flag at the opening ceremony.

He was supposed to fight an Israeli judoka in the first round, but he could not compete. This was because his weight was a little more than allowed for his class. Some people thought he did this on purpose to avoid fighting an Israeli athlete. Iranian officials said it was their country’s rule not to compete against Israeli athletes, and they praised Miresmaeili for following this rule. The International Judo Federation later said there was no proof he missed the weight limit on purpose.

After the Olympics, Iran’s government gave Miresmaeili a reward of $125,000.

Denial of entry to the election of Iran's Judo Federation

In the summer of 2009, before an important election in Iran, Arash Miresmaeili supported a candidate named Mohsen Rezaee. Miresmaeili was picked to help lead Rezaee's campaign for the Sports Committee.

Because of his support, some people who backed the other candidate, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, were unhappy with Miresmaeili. They stopped him from entering an election event for Iran's Judo Federation on January 2, 2009. Miresmaeili was upset about this but still loves Judo.

As the President of the Iranian Judo Federation

In 2019, Arash Miresmaeili became the President of the Iranian Judo Federation. He was chosen by a vote and got 32 out of 43 votes for a four-year term.