"Mr. Brainwash Olympics" (CC BY 2.0) by  AiresAlmeida

The Olympic Games might be a chance for the best athletes in the world to prove their physical superiority and become the best in the discipline, however, when it comes to football, the Olympics are always something of an afterthought.
To help distinguish football at the Olympics from competitions such as the World Cup, the rules of engagement state that the players on the pitch must be eligible to play at the Under 23 level. Because of this, the Olympic Games are a chance for smaller international clubs, such as Iran, to shine and in 2016 there could be a number of teams ready to cause an upset.

Iran's Rollercoaster Form



"Ali karimi of Iran wears symbolic green" (CC BY 2.0) by  MEVA_SLS

In the pre-Games warm-up, Iran have certainly looked impressive. Before the Christmas break, Iran's Olympic side took on Turkish club Antalyaspor and ran out 5-0 winners while looking impressive throughout the match. However, that sort of preparation might not be enough according to the team's assistant coach.
As reported by a number of outlets, including the Tasnim News Agency, Markar Aghajanyan believes his young players need more experience on the international stage if they want to win at the Olympics. Although wins against domestic sides are great for the players' overall fitness and confidence, those sorts of matches won't offer the same sort of test that Iran will face if they make it to Rio this summer.
In fact, this complaint is something that seems to hold some weight as Iran's performance in the AFC U23 Championship has shown. Looking specifically at Iran's performance in the Olympic qualifier, the team's form his been patchy at best. Despite offering some resistance against one of the tournament's strongest teams, Qatar, Iran still finished the game as 2-1 losers.
However, despite that defeat, Iran have continued to score goals and that could prove vital in the latter stages of the competition. Indeed, heading into the match against China, online bookmakers had Iran pegged at odds around 4/9 for the win. However, the odds may not be as favourable if Iran make it to Rio. Indeed, when you scan the latest international football betting headlines, the bulk of the reports surrounding the 2016 Rio Olympics are focused on the host nation, Brazil.

Odds Against Iran's Success



"Ball" (CC BY 2.0) by  maHidoodi

The latest odds when this article was produced have Brazil marked at 9/4 for the event. However, there is some good news for Iranian football fans when you read the latest Olympic odd for China (33/1).
Of course, it doesn't mean Iran will stand a better chance of success in the Olympics, however, it's certainly a sign the team is gaining more respect on a world stage, even if the international football headlines don't reflect it. There's no doubt Iran's lack of international warm-up matches will have an impact on the squad's overall development, but if the team can get through the AFC U23 Championships, it will certainly prove they have enough class to at least challenge for one of the medal positions in Rio this summer.

Mr. Brainwash Olympics by AiresAlmeida, on Flickr
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