Baku international competition kk2012

Fo orientation, here is a map of Azerbaijan and its immediate neighbors, Baku Harbor at night, and a sight you might hope to see on the shores of the Caspian Sea:

The venue

Here are shots of some of the Baku contestants, though not all of the shots are of thee Baku competition.  I've picked wrestlers from the United States because I retain a bit of chauvinism; from Iran because Iran won the competition; from Kazakhstan because I like Kazakhstan; from Azerbaijan because they were the hosts and I like Azerbaijan; from Georgia because I'd like to visit there; and Japan, because in my view Japanese wrestlers are the handsomest of the lot.

  Freestyle wrestlers from the United States of North America

Jake Varner

Nick Simmons

Nick Simmons tries to put Henry Cejudo on his back  See 

Dream boxer; real, heroic wrestler

at Young and Easy

Nick, out on a lark

Jake Hebert

 Coleman Sott

Scissors, said to be the most painful of

 legal wrestling holds. 

 This young man is not laughing.

Freestyle wrestlers from Azerbaijan

Jabrayil Hasanov

Mushvig Isayev

Sharif Sharifov

Looks like what we have got here --

When My Life Is Over, And My Time Has Run Out,
My Friends and My Lovers, I Will Leave, Theres No Doubt
But One Things For Certain, When It Comes My Time
I'll Leave This Old World With A Satisfied Mind

Jeff Buckley, "Satisfied Mind"

Freestyle wrstler from Kazahkstan

Daulet Niyazbekov

Freestyle wrestlers from Georgia

Dato Marsagishvili

Otar Tushishvili

Freestyle wrestlers from Japan

Japan's men's wrestling team

Kenichi Yumoto

Tatsuhiro Yonemitsu 

Freestyle wrestlers from Iran

Mehdi Taghavi Kermani

Sadegh Goudarzi

Hassan Rahimi

From Outsports Discussion Board:  

Danish wrestlers during a friendly visit in Iran

The picture just to the left of the Ayatollah's is of, from Wikipedia,

Gholamreza Takhti (Persian: غلامرضا تختی‎, August 27, 1930 – January 7, 1968). . . the most famous wrestler in Iranian history. He was most famous for his chivalrous behavior and sportsmanship, and he continues to symbolize the essence of sport to the Iranian people.

Gholamreza Takhti was also foxy: 

All these men could be from Hawaii; all would be welcomed here, Oh Polyethnic We!