The wrestler, Alireza Karimi-Machiani, was on his way toward trouncing his opponent, Russian wrestler Alikhan Zhabrailov, when Karimi-Machiani’s coach ordered him to lose (“lose Alireza” he shouted from the sidelines). Karimi-Machiani initially resisted the order, but eventually acquiesced. He was not happy about it.“I tried hard for months to get the world gold medal,” the wrestler told the Iranian Student News Agency (ISNA). “Achieving a world medal is the only happiness for any of us.”Karimi-Machiani added, “I do accept that Israel is an oppressor and commits crimes. But would it not be oppression if our authorities undermine my hard work again?”