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With the 2026 Portugal Pro in the record books, many bodybuilding fans are starting to get nervous with regards one of their favorite Iranian stars. Although Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan is the most popular Persian bodybuilders in the world, Behrouz is gaining a tremendous fanbase in his own right. And much like Choopan, Tabani refuses to move to a friendlier country. Many of the questions posed in articles about Hadi over the years, will be posed in this article about Behrouz. Although his situation is far more complex and we\u2019ll of course discuss that as well. One very telling point of reference is the current World Cup and the alleged mistreatment of the Iranian team. We\u2019re not going to address those issues because they\u2019re largely argumentative, but suffice it to say that when two countries are at war, it will create undoubted tension at all levels \u2013 including the athletic world. Could the tension be so powerful that it keeps athletes out? That\u2019s a little bit more tricky, and we\u2019ll definitely tackle that question as well. One thing that\u2019s worth mentioning from the get go goes beyond merely qualifying. What if Behrooz does qualify \u2013 possibly at the China show \u2013 but then can\u2019t get into the United States for the O? Hell, we\u2019ve seen competitors from strong ally countries like France and the UK not be able to get in. Granted, those issues are more related to timeliness or maybe personal matters affecting each athlete, but just because countries have great ties doesn\u2019t translate to hassle-free travel for athletes.<\/p>\n
As I\u2019ve often said in articles such as this, nobody would ever require a competitor to leave their homeland in order to be a successful professional physique-based athlete. That\u2019s absolutely outrageous.\u00a0 However, I do believe that if folks come from a country that does not have good relations with the United States, and they want to compete on American stages, it would behoove them to consider either moving to the United States or moving to a US-friendly country. And you can tell which countries are on good terms simply by looking at the news. For example, a year ago we were on the verge of war with Venezuela. Today, they are friends of ours. Right now we\u2019re actively involved in a war with Iran. Even though there are negotiations and there are ceasefires, there are also flare-ups. The reality of the matter is with the exception of North Korea, Iran is probably the most hostile country to the United States in the world. This does not mean that the people of Iran are hostile to the United States nor does it mean that its athletes are, but the two countries have very tense relations at this time. The countries are at war. So that\u2019s going to have an effect on visas \u2013 not only to the United States \u2013 but to U.S. allies in Europe and throughout the world. And that might explain why Behrouz has not been able to get a visa to compete in Portugal. He may also not get a visa to compete in China. Now China and Iran have great ties, or at least it seems, but this is where bodybuilding gets complicated because now we\u2019re talking about international relations, history, and current events. That\u2019s an awful lot of speculation for a competitor just trying to get a qualification to the Olympia. Sadly, that\u2019s where we are at this point in time.<\/p>\n
And it should also be noted that just because the Iranian soccer team was able to come into the United States to play at the World Cup that does not mean that Iranian bodybuilders are going to be afforded the same opportunity. Soccer is the most popular sport in the world. Bodybuilding isn\u2019t even considered a sport by some of its own adherents. That\u2019s right! There is a segment of the physique industry that sees bodybuilding as a discipline and there\u2019s another segment that sees it as a sport. So imagine the very niche type nature of the sport. Could you imagine trying to convince diplomatic teams that there is a need to make an exception for muscular people to compete in a muscle pageant and to create a sense of urgency in order to ensure that said travel credentials are granted. I\u2019m just saying it\u2019s a shot in the dark. The odds are not very good.<\/p>\n
And this is another reason why I have always advocated for competitors that come from countries that have tense relationships with the United States to consider emigrating either to a US friendly country or to the United States. Now that\u2019s a lot easier said than done because a lot of people don\u2019t want to leave their family behind, or they don\u2019t want to leave their friends behind, or they don\u2019t want to leave their way of life behind. And I totally understand that, but if you\u2019re going to compete in a sport that\u2019s dominated by the United States, then these are decisions you have to make. Because at the end of the day the biggest three contests in bodybuilding are all in the United States. The Olympia, the Arnold Classic (Columbus), and the New York Pro. Dubai is a big show but it\u2019s not a Big 3 show. The same thing goes for Prague, it\u2019s another great show, but it\u2019s not a Big 3 show and the Big 3 aside, every bodybuilder on the planet wants to compete at Mr Olympia. That is after all the Super Bowl of the sport. And that, too, is in the United States.<\/p>\n
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