Jamal Valizadeh

Valizadeh was born in 1991 in Kermanshah, Iran.{{Cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/athletes/jamal-valizadeh|website=Olympics.com|title=Jamal Valizadeh}}{{Cite news|url=https://www.lemonde.fr/sport/article/2024/07/25/jamal-valizadeh-aux-jo-2024-un-lutteur-invetere-a-la-poursuite-de-son-reve-olympique_6257741_3242.html|newspaper=Le Monde|language=French|url-access=subscription|date=25 July 2024|title=Jamal Valizadeh aux JO 2024 : un lutteur invétéré à la poursuite de son rêve olympique|trans-title=Jamal Valizadeh at the 2024 Olympics: an inveterate wrestler in pursuit of his Olympic dream|author=Roger, Simon}} He grew up in the village of Takhti and attended school in Sanandaj.{{Cite web|url=https://www.france24.com/fr/sports/20240502-%C3%A9quipe-des-r%C3%A9fugi%C3%A9s-iran-en-2014-le-lutteur-jamal-valizadeh-va-vivre-son-r%C3%AAve-olympique|publisher=France 24|language=French|date=2 May 2024|title=Équipe des réfugiés : parti d'Iran en 2014, le lutteur Jamal Valizadeh va vivre son rêve olympique|trans-title=Refugee Team: Wrestler Jamal Valizadeh, who left Iran in 2014, will live his Olympic dream|author=Bras, Oliver}}{{Cite web|url=https://factuel.univ-lorraine.fr/node/26387|publisher=University of Lorraine|title=[JO2024] Rencontre avec Jamal Valizadeh, en route pour les Jeux Olympiques 2024|language=French|date=30 April 2024|trans-title=[JO2024] Meeting with Jamal Valizadeh, on his way to the 2024 Olympic Games}} He was the only boy of 34 cousins who was initially not a wrestler; instead, he competed in handball as a goalkeeper, before being convinced to try out the sport at age 11.{{Cite web|url=https://olympics.com/en/news/jamal-valizadeh-refugee-team-olympics-wrestling-medal-interview|website=Olympics.com|title=Once a fighter, always a fighter: Jamal Valizadeh 's inspiring journey to become a medal prospect |author=Binner, Andrew|date=11 July 2024}} He trained with his family each day and joined a club in Takhti, later beating the regional champion in his first year in the sport. He quickly showed talent in the sport, competing in Greco-Roman events,{{Cite web|url=https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1145919/iran-to-olympics-refugee-wrestler|website=Inside the Games|title=From Iran to the Olympics: A refugee wrestler's hopes for a medal|date=9 June 2024}} and won the national championship in the 55 kg category each year from 2011 to 2013.

In 2014, Valizadeh attended a Kurd demonstration protesting the Islamic State.{{Cite news|url=https://www.leparisien.fr/jo-paris-2024/jo-paris-2024-de-la-torture-en-iran-a-la-traversee-de-la-mediterranee-le-reve-olympique-de-jamal-valizadeh-07-01-2024-SEYQDCVH75CEJJUS2JUV4Z6YJM.php|newspaper=Le Parisien|language=French|via=archive.ph|title=JO Paris 2024 : de la torture en Iran à la traversée de la Méditerranée, le rêve olympique de Jamal Valizadeh|author=Baheux, Romain|date=7 January 2024|trans-title=Paris 2024 Olympics: from torture in Iran to crossing the Mediterranean, Jamal Valizadeh's Olympic dream|access-date=15 August 2024|archive-date=26 April 2024|archive-url=https://archive.today/20240426141209/https://www.leparisien.fr/jo-paris-2024/jo-paris-2024-de-la-torture-en-iran-a-la-traversee-de-la-mediterranee-le-reve-olympique-de-jamal-valizadeh-07-01-2024-SEYQDCVH75CEJJUS2JUV4Z6YJM.php|url-status=bot: unknown}} He witnessed "the police [...] hitting the women and children," and intervened. He recalled that "I threw myself between the legs of one of the officers, I used a wrestling technique on him." However, he was overpowered and imprisoned, where he was tortured for two weeks. Describing it as "hell," he later noted in Le Parisien:

{{blockquote|I was interrogated, and they beat me when I didn't know what to answer to their questions [...] The worst part was the sleep deprivation. They let me rest for twenty minutes, then took me out of the cell to question me. I found myself in a cell where it was impossible to sit down. When you are forced to stand without sleeping for 24 hours, you go crazy. I was released on bail, but with the certainty of being convicted.}}

Validezah went into hiding in Tehran for six months, while working jobs to earn money so that he could pay someone to smuggle him to Turkey. In Turkey, he recalled that he "worked 16 hours a day, earning only 1,000 dollars after six months. [The employers] gave me $300 a month and I had to buy my own food ... they abused me, they did not respect me, they spoke badly to me." He said "it was really hard," but that it was necessary to earn money to continue his journey. In the winter of 2015, Valizadeh crossed the Mediterranean Sea on boat with other refugees; however, the boat started to sink and he had to swim several hundred metres to reach his destination.{{Cite news|url=https://www.thenationalnews.com/sport/olympics/2024/07/19/jamal-valizadeh-from-fight-for-survival-to-battle-for-glory-at-paris-olympics/|newspaper=The National|title=Jamal Valizadeh: From fight for survival to battle for glory at Paris Olympics|date=19 July 2024}} He arrived in France on 1 January 2016 and later stayed at a shelter in Le Mans, receiving political refugee status.

Valizadeh learned French and worked as a forklift driver in a supermarket for several years. He also enrolled at the University of Lorraine, studying information technology (IT). In January 2023, following eight years away from wrestling, he returned to the sport and joined a club in France. He competed at six international tournaments that year representing the United World Wrestling (UWW) refugee team, including at the World Wrestling Championships and European Wrestling Championships.{{Cite web|url=https://uww.org/article/valizadeh-mahdavi-named-ioc-refugee-team-2024-paris-olympics|publisher=United World Wrestling|title=Valizadeh, Mahdavi named in IOC Refugee Team for 2024 Paris Olympics|date=2 May 2024}} He received an International Olympic Committee (IOC) scholarship and began training with the French national team multiple times a week. In May 2024, he was announced as a member of the Refugee Olympic Team to compete at the 2024 Summer Olympics for the 60{{nbsp}}kg Greco-Roman event.{{Cite web|url=https://www.francebleu.fr/sports/tous-les-sports/un-symbole-d-espoir-et-de-liberte-jamal-valizadeh-lutteur-iranien-refugie-en-moselle-participe-aux-jeux-olympiques-3244066|title="Un symbole d'espoir et de liberté" : Jamal Valizadeh, lutteur iranien réfugié en Moselle, participe aux Jeux Olympiques|language=French|trans-title="A symbol of hope and freedom": Jamal Valizadeh, an Iranian wrestler who is a refugee in Moselle, participates in the Olympic Games|date=21 July 2024|author=Martirossian, Marie|publisher=France Bleu}}{{Cite web |title=Wrestling Results Book |url=https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/WRE/OG2024_WRE_B99_WRE-------------------------------.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240811181048/https://olympics.com/OG2024/pdf/OG2024/WRE/OG2024_WRE_B99_WRE-------------------------------.pdf |archive-date=11 August 2024 |access-date=12 August 2024 |website=2024 Summer Olympics}}

{{Reflist}}

{{List of Iranian refugee and immigrant athletes}}

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Category:1991 births

Category:Living people

Category:Iranian male sport wrestlers

Category:Iranian refugees

Category:Iranian emigrants to France

Category:Sportspeople of Iranian descent

Category:Sportspeople from Kermanshah

Category:University of Lorraine alumni

Category:Refugee Olympic Team at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Category:Wrestlers at the 2024 Summer Olympics

Category:21st-century Iranian sportsmen