One Week Iranian Sports Roundup On International Arenas

Tehran, Dec 24, IRNA – Iran's championship in the 10-Day Dawn International Taekwondo Competitions and 15-step fall of Iran's football in the new FIFA ranking should be taken as the most outstanding international sports events last week. **Following its 1-0 defeat against Uzbekistan in the preliminary competitions to the 2014 FIFA World Cup Brazil, Iran's national football team fell by 15 ranks in the FIFA ranking list, standing 59 in the world list and fourth in Asia with 532 scores. Japan in Asia ascended by two ranks and 840 scores, distinguished as the best Asian team. It was known as the 22nd world team. **The Varamin Municipality Taekwondo team of Iran won five gold and one bronze medals to finish champion of the 24th 10-Day Dawn International Taekwondo Competitions. Alborz Steel Team too stood second with three gold, one silver and three bronze medals. Four Iranian teams (Steel Albroz, Varamin Municipality, Moqavemat (Resistance), Vafa Van Auto and Qazvin Taekwondo Board) and six foreign teams (from Serbia, Afghanistan, Russia, Croatia, Armenia and Iraq) had taken part in the competitions. **A two-member Iranian girls' team named third in the Girls' Generation 2nd Asia Tour after failure against China. ** Iranian female handball players have exhibited a brilliant performance in the preliminary round of the 14th edition of the Asian Women's Handball Championship in Indonesia, crushing the hosts. Iranians overpowered the Indonesian squad 53-4 in their opener at Gedung Olah Raga sports hall of Yogyakarta city on Friday. The national Iranian women's handball team will play against North Korea in its second match of the preliminary round of the 2012 Asian Women's Handball Championship on Saturday. **Iran's Omid Futsal Team finished 4th in a multilateral competition, held in Russian Futsal Super League in St. Petersburg. **Najme Khedmati, young Iranian markswoman, finished champion in the rifle event of Asian Young Girls' Marksmanship Championship Competitions. In the adults section of the team rifle event, the Iranian women won bronze medal. Iranian rifle marksmanship team won silver, standing second in Asia. **Iranian sports caravan won 13 gold, four silver and one bronze medals to stand champion of the 4th Middle East Transplant Games, held in the UAE. 144 athletes from 11 countries had taken part in the competitions. **Farzad Baher Arasbaran finished champion of the saber event of 10th Youth Fencing World Cup Competitions, held in Tehran. In the finals, he managed to win 15-13 against the Georgian rival to win the title. **Mehdi Mahdavikia, an Iranian football player who currently plays for Persepolis in Iran Pro League, has been placed in the favorites list of the world football players in 2012. National and international football databases, football blog and forum for football statisticians and historians, has published its latest polling on the most favorite football players in different continents. Iran's Mahdavikia with more than 45,000 votes compared to other contemporary footballers, is known as the best. Seyed Mahdi Rahmati, the Esteghlal football team's captain is also in the list, ranking third in Asia with more than 21,000 votes. The polling, the third and last one to select the most popular world football players, has started from December 1 and will continue until January 3. **Iran's national beach football team won the third title of the International Brasilof Tournament after winning over a team from Rio de Janeiro. Mohammad-Ali Mokhtari, a player from Golsapoush Team of Yazd, was the young Iranian player to win the prize of the contests. **Helena Costa from Portugual has been turned the coach of National Iranian Women Football Team based on a one-year agreement. While guiding the national team in the Asian Football Championships, Costa will undertake technical management of the Under-6 football teams of Iran. She will also oversee programs for under-14 players, who are to take part in the Asian Championship Competitions in March. ** Giovanni Barteba of Italy will be the coach of National Iranian Women Ski team in the Alpine event in the International ski resort of Dizin in Karaj. Barteba, 74, has been the coach for ski teams in Italy and European states, majoring Women Alpine event. **Iran's National Chess Team, distinguished with the title `Tehran', has taken part in the World Cities Chess Team Championship in the UAE, was trounced by France 3-1 in its first competition. It will next face the US. **Julio Velasco, the head coach of Iranian National Volleyball Team, will return to Iran on January 8 to finalize and sign his accord. **The Argentine coach head of Iran's National Volleyball Team has gone to Italy in September after winning prize of the 2013 FIVB Volleyball World League./end