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As a fan of international bodybuilding, it pains me to write an article like this because I would love nothing more than for competitors from all over the world to be able to compete freely. Bodybuilding has never been about politics though in cases like these, what happens on a global scale has an undeniable impact on competitors\u2019 travel abilities. While the sport itself knows no borders, there\u2019s a tremendous influence in the United States and Europe. In fact, the Big 3 (Olympia, Arnold Classic, and NY Pro) are all held in the United States. There are also big shows in Europe, the Middle East, and Asia. Sadly, it seems that Iranian nationals aren\u2019t getting any love, anywhere. Even the People\u2019s Republic of China, which has strong ties to Iran, is seemingly not opening its doors to Iranian athletes. Today\u2019s article is about a guy who has really paid his dues. I\u2019m talking about celebrated Persian bodybuilder Behrouz Tabani. And even though his visa was denied, it seems that his coach, Milos Sarcev (another legend in his own right) seems optimistic. As it turns out, Tabani\u2019s visa was rejected almost instantaneously. The answer was received in just a matter of days. The thinking now is to re-apply and if granted, Tabani would get on a plane from Iran to China as late as Friday or even Saturday for the Sunday contest. From what it seems, special permission is being sought from IFBB Pro League Vice President Tyler Manion to see if Behrouz can be afforded an exemption to bypass the athletes\u2019 meeting and other requirements should he somehow arrive at the 11th<\/sup> hour. And while that takes some of the stress off, Behrouz will still go to sleep each night not knowing if he\u2019ll be able to compete or not. Could you imagine what he must be going through?<\/p>\n I honestly don\u2019t know what\u2019s worse, not being able to compete or not knowing you can\u2019t compete until virtually the last minute. Either situation seems to be catastrophic for a competitor. Could you imagine Behrouz\u2019s cortisol levels? I mean sure \u2013 mind over matter all day everyday \u2013 right? But that\u2019s a lot easier said than done. How do you compartmentalize the fact that all your work may be in vain? Imagine what it must be like as you read this article for poor Behrouz. He has done the work, he has sacrificed, and he probably looks phenomenal. I have been following his updates and quite frankly this man has always been known as a workhorse. He\u2019s a consummate professional and somebody that truly respects the stage and the process. And what do I mean by that? What I mean is that win or lose, he is going to be a professional. He\u2019s not a whiner, he\u2019s not going to throw his trophy away, he\u2019s going to do press and he\u2019s going to do right by the promoter. What more could the Federation ask for? And if the Federation could do anything, I know they would leave no stone unturned. But this is not about bodybuilding, this is about global politics. I mean how many articles have I written about when it comes to Iranian competitors getting into the United states? Five, ten, probably more in all honesty. And that is because the United States and Iran have pretty horrible relations. I mean we\u2019re currently fighting a war, no less. But this is not about an Iranian competitor trying to get into the United States or even into Europe. This is about a competitor from Iran not being able to compete in China!! I mean try to wrap your head around that one! China is an ally of Iran\u2019s, and still the guy can\u2019t get into a friendly country.<\/p>\n This goes back to what I\u2019ve been saying for years about guys like Behrouz and guys like Hadi. If they want to compete in bodybuilding, they practically have to move either to Western Europe or the United States. Even then they\u2019re not guaranteed visas because we have seen competitors from the United Kingdom and France that have not been able to get into the United States or European countries. Ultimately, I feel that an Iranian bodybuilder should do whatever is necessary to move to the United States. That\u2019s the only sure fire way that they\u2019re going to be able to compete. They have worked so hard for this!<\/p>\n \n