Zurkhaneh Sports and Koshti Pahlavani

Zurkhaneh Sports is an sports of athletics originally used to train warriors in Ancient Iran and adjacent lands. It combines martial arts, calisthenics, strength training and music. Recognized by UNESCO as among the world’s longest-running forms of such training, it fuses elements of Persian culture (particularly Zoroastrianism, Mithrāism and Gnosticism). Practiced in a domed structure called the Zurkhaneh, training sessions consist mainly of ritual gymnastic movements and climax with the core of combat practice, a form in amateur wrestling known as “Koshti Pahlavani”.

International Zurkhaneh Sports Federation (IZSF) has been established on October 11, 2004 in Tehran with the support of representatives from 22 countries of the world to promote Zurkhaneh Sports on a global level. The IZSF aims to regulate and standardize rules for Koshti Pahlavani and organize international festivals and competitions. Till now IZSF has more than 85 countries as a nation member. In 2010 IZSF started to regulate and organize Para-Zurkhaneh festivals for disabled athletes. In addition IZSF organized many educations training course in 4 continents, along with IZSF organized 5 times Asian, 4 times European, 1 st African during The 10 th All African Games in Maputo, Mozambique, and 2 nd under the supervision of African Union Council in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, 4 times World Cup and 2 times World Championship during The TAFISA Sport For All Games on different Countries.

Zurkhaneh Sports: Team skills, Individual skills and Koshti Pahlavani (50 -60, 60 – 70, 70 -80, 80 -90 and +90 kG