Arash Miresmaeili

Arash Miresmaeili (Persian: آرش میراسماعیلی, born 3 March 1981) is an Iranian judoka. He has competed in judo, a sport that involves grappling and throwing techniques.

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, making 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, and 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 expected to win the gold medal at the 2004 Summer Olympics and was the flag bearer for Iran at the opening ceremony.

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

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

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, who was running against Mahmoud Ahmadinejad. Miresmaeili was chosen to help lead Rezaee's campaign for the Sports Committee.

Because of his support, some people who backed Ahmadinejad were unhappy with Miresmaeili. They even stopped him from entering an election event for Iran's Judo Federation on January 2, 2009. Miresmaeili felt very upset about this and said he was disappointed with sports in Iran, but he still loved 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, receiving 32 out of 43 votes for a four-year term.