A narrative of the bond between sports and books in Neyshabur

While the muscles of athletes were tired from heavy training, their minds came alive with books. Yesterday afternoon, the Mardas bodybuilding club hosted an event that linked iron weights with books and study. The Simorgh Flight Cultural Association, along with the management of the Mardas bodybuilding club, gathered twenty athletes and cultural activists under one roof on December 9, 2025, to reflect on ‘the place of intellectualism in the realm of sports.’ The program, titled ‘From Book to Championship: How Reading Transforms Athletes?’, sought to prove that mental and physical health are two wings of a single flight.

A teenager’s suggestion; books instead of supplements

The ceremony began with a welcome from the club’s management, but the turning point came when the youngest club member introduced the book ‘The Charm of Energy’ to the attendees. He stated, ‘A book is an important source of positive energy and resilience. When the weights get heavier, thoughts help people more than supplements do.’ This sentence was the first direct connection between the world of weights and the world of words.

Speaking of Pahlavani Ethics

Subsequently, one of the eulogists of Neyshabur discussed the importance of Pahlavani ethics.

Officials also held books

Mohammad Ebrahim Amini, head of the Neyshabur Sports and Youth Department, provided practical tips about competitions; more importantly, he reported on the growing trend of sports clubs in the city that are now becoming spaces for health promotion. The presence of Hemmatabadi, a city council member, also emphasized the importance of this link. He described books as the ‘main supplement’ for athletes’ mental health.

Cultural Vow; from club to barracks

The program concluded with the implementation of the project ‘Cultural Vow of Books in Circulation.’ This project, an initiative of the Simorgh Flight Association, intends to deliver valuable books to schools, barracks, and sports centers using the capacity of vows. The association promised that this cultural vow would reach other clubs in Neyshabur so that the story of ‘The Charm of Energy’ would enchant future champions.