IRI - Iran treating USA game as sports, not politics
ISTANBUL (World Championship) - The Minister of Sports for Iran, Ali Saeedlou, has appealed for everyone to treat his country's meeting with the United States at the FIBA World Championship on Wednesday as a sporting event and nothing more. The two countries have had strained relations politically but Saeedlou, who watched Iran beat Tunisia on ...
ISTANBUL (2010 FIBA World Championship) - The Minister of Sports for Iran, Ali Saeedlou (who visited with FIBATV.Com), has appealed for everyone to treat his country's meeting with the United States at the FIBA World Championship on Wednesday as a sporting event and nothing more.
The two countries have had strained relations politically but Saeedlou, who watched Iran beat Tunisia on Monday night, said to FIBA.com: "As you know, people like each other due to sports.
"We try to improve our sports and make a better society from sports.
"We think about the sport only. This is not politics."
Iran's most famous player, Hamed Ehadadi, has spent the past two seasons in the NBA with the Memphis Grizzlies while the new sensation of the country's national team, Arsalan Kazemi, is a student/athlete at Rice University in Houston, Texas.
Before last year's freshman season at Rice, Kazemi attended a prep school in North Carolina.
The Iranian players have been well received by all in Istanbul.
"We are hoping that we will have a better society all around the world," Saeedlou said.
"First of all, we appreciate FIBA and the Turkish Olympic Federation, as a Muslim country, for supporting this game and that they have prepared this game very well for friendship and unity, for all to love each other."
As for Iran's big win over Tunisia, a 71-58 triumph - Iran’s first in an Olympics or World Championship- Saeedlou said: "In the name of God, first of all, we dedicate this win to the Iranian people. The players did great."
Watch the interview on FIBA TV
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