Utahn Khosrow Semnani treks to Rio to watch the sport he tried to help save

Rio de Janeiro • The match hadn’t even started, but fans in the two packed sections at Carioca Arena 2 were already energized as their wrestler readied himself to step on the mat.

When the Iranian fans weren’t animatedly hoisting flags as high as they could, they overwhelmed the wrestling venue with their chants. The sections played off one another: a kazoolike horn sounded six straight times before one side would scream “Iran!” The horn then blared five more times with the identical cheer from the other side.

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