Up until the popular unrest in Iran, Hadi seemed to have the world in his hand. His fans have always been fanatical when it comes to him. If he takes a placing they don’t like, they make themselves heard. Choopan also had the full support of Hany Rambod and Evogen. But a lot has changed. Hadi made some mistakes, but he was in quite a predicament.
Listen, I understand that a lot of people, particularly in the United States and Western Europe, wanted him to voice his repudiation for the system in Iran. They wanted him to use his fame to help the cause. Because Iran is one of those countries where bodybuilding is a national sport. When Hadi wins the Olympia or Hadi wins the Arnold Classic he’s not just winning it for Hadi. He’s also not just winning it for his sponsor or his coach. He’s winning it for his country.
Iran is one of the most isolated countries in the world and as a result of that they don’t have a lot of champions that compete and choose to live in their country. If anything they would emigrate to the United States or Western Europe but they wouldn’t want to live there. Hadi is the exception. Hadi has found a way to be able to compete in a physique-based sport while living in a theocracy that probably would otherwise look down upon such a sport which aims to create the closest thing to perfection. In fact, even in some Christian circles bodybuilding is considered a vain sport and it’s frowned upon. Nonetheless, Hadi has been able to find a comfortable middle ground. Not only a middle ground, but to put himself in a situation where the state supports his work on the competitive physique-based stage. The problem is that it’s state that a lot of Iranian detractors want to be replaced with a more democratic, more freedom-loving type of government.
There are a lot of Iranians here in the United States and there are even some that are professional bodybuilders that wanted to see Choopan become the posterboy for the democracy movement. But it’s not just about the democracy movement, either. There are people that want to restore the monarchy. There is an exiled shah of Iran who’s very active as well. Believe it or not – he is very vocal. There are also opposition leaders that live in exile and leaders within Iran who would like to have an opportunity to run things. But Hadi has remained somewhat out of the political loop while at the same time hanging photos of the ruling elites in his home and gym. I only say this because the fans have pointed this out. So it isn’t even that he’s neutral or that he wants to stay out, but he’s been accused of supporting the very state that so many Iranians want gone.
Historically, Iran changed from being a western friendly nation up until 1979 into becoming hostile to Western Europe and the United States. As a result it has always been somewhat difficult for Hadi to get visas and travel documents to be able to compete in the United States and Europe. We have always had the privilege of seeing him compete, but every year it’s a big question as to whether or not he will be able to make the voyage. Just last year the United States knocked out several of Iran’s nuclear facilities and we are on the verge of another war if the Iranians don’t back off from their nuclear ambitions as we speak. In addition to the tense situation between the West and Iran, the protests continue and Hadi remains on the sidelines.
What I think was very telling was the fact that many Iranian gym owners and supplement store owners who had portraits of Hadi on their walls started to set them on fire. There is a tremendous amount of anger towards Hadi not only internationally, but in Iran as well. As a result of that he finds himself outside of the United States without any clear path to getting in and also finds himself without a sponsor. At the end of the day Hany is one of the Iranians that is truly fighting for change from abroad. I’m sure he would like to return one day and perhaps start a business there, maybe vote in an election, or maybe just be a tourist. But a lot of Iranians have left the country. They would never dream of returning because they are terrified of being politically persecuted. There are a great many Iranians that are second generation that have never even been to that country. Their families fled in the late 1970s and early 1980s. Going to Iran for a lot of Iranian-Americans would be a dream come true – given the right circumstances. They know the country through their customs, cuisine, and music, but they have never stepped foot on Iranian soil. It’s really kind of mind boggling when you come to think of it. Then you have Iranians that have the means to leave but will not. They are determined to remain there and fight for change. Many of those Iranians want nothing to do with Hadi Choopan. One telltale sign of this is Choopan losing nearly one million followers on Instagram.
That said, bodybuilding has always been a sport that’s apolitical. Even during the Pumping Iron days Arnold made some comments about Apartheid South Africa, he stopped short of making any political speeches or boycotting the show. It isn’t really the forum for competitors to sound off on political matters. I think the problem with Hadi is the fact that he was seen as a supporter of the government and when he was pressed to give an apology, he didn’t really cut the mustard. What he did was give a very vague and somewhat confusing declaration that really didn’t read like an apology at all. He didn’t say what the detractors wanted him to say; he just sort of set a whole bunch of nothing. At the end of the day, all it really did was fan the flames against him. But love him or hate him, Hadi is not going to be what anyone wants him to be. He’s not going to say what people want him to say. Instead, he focused on really coming in with razor-sharp condition. I mean the guy looks his best right now. I have not seen Hadi in this kind of condition since he won the Olympia. But how sad would it be if he never got to get on stage? That’s what it’s looking like right now. It’s looking like he’s going to be stranded somewhere in the Middle East without any plausible way of getting into the U.S. to compete in Columbus.
And what’s even more disturbing is that if he can’t compete at the Arnold Classic, will he be able to compete at the Olympia? And if there is another war, and this time the war doesn’t last just 11 or 12 days, then he may not compete at all in 2026. Because it isn’t just a question of competing in the United States, he wouldn’t be able to compete in Europe, either. The fact that he’s somewhere in the Middle East is only because there are relations between that country and Iran. Iran, like North Korea, doesn’t have a lot of good ties to many countries. And what’s crazy is that Hadi has never even really considered moving to the United States or Europe. So the fact is, if he chooses to remain in Iran and he refuses to emigrate, could this be the end of his competitive career? Sadly, things are not getting any better.
I don’t know why he was dropped from Evogen, but I think it doesn’t take a rocket scientist to figure it out. If you have deeply-held political beliefs and you own a supplement company, I don’t think that it would bode well for you to do business with someone who stands at a polar opposite than you do. In other words, I don’t think that Hany wants to do business with someone who supports a government that he condemns. I don’t think that his family was too happy with the business relationship and I also don’t think that a lot of the consumers were happy with the business relationship, either. It puts a supplement company owner in a tough spot.
Does Rambod make decisions based on profits or does he make decisions based on what he can live with. Honestly, I think that Hany has a tremendous amount of disgust with the Iranian regime and I just don’t think that in good conscience he could continue working with Hadi. I might be mistaken, but that is my gut instinct. I think it’s the same reason why King Kamali also lashed out at Hadi.
Some might argue that it’s not personal, but I would argue that it’s very personal. I would argue that they might even perceive Hadi as using his fame to legitimize an otherwise illegitimate government. It’s one thing to not oppose the injustice, but to support it? I think it’s very personal when guys like King Kamali spoke out against Hadi and anyone else who supports the regime. But the problem is King Kamali lives in the United States, Hadi lives in Iran. And so do all the other Iranian athletes that choose to compete internationally but reside there. Nonetheless, it’s one thing to keep your mouth shut and it’s another thing to have pictures of the leaders in your home and gym. It’s not that they’re mad that Hadi doesn’t say anything, I think they’re mad that it seems that Hadi supports that government.
It’s a bad look for any company to want to be associated with Hadi. And another very good question that a lot of top media outlets have asked is whether or not all of this stress of not being able to travel to the United States and the stress of being dropped by a long-time sponsor, will sabotage Hadi’s final prep? I tend to think it won’t. Because I think Hadi is in that tunnel vision mode where everything he can think about is the stage. I think he’s letting his camp deal with the headaches of visas and of dealing with sponsors. I think he is so driven that all he can think about is continuing to perfect his physique, pose in the mirror, and not let any of the drama get in his head. I think when you’re dealing with an individual that is this close to victory and who has a competitive career as long and illustrious as Hadi’s, then very little is going to break that ironclad mindset.
But what do you say? Do you think that he is blind and deaf to the reality surrounding him? Do you think that he is so driven that nothing will stop him from looking absolutely superhuman? As always, I hope you enjoyed reading my article here at IronMag. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. It’s bound to generate lively conversation.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner of StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for IronMag Blog, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
