Continued Neglect of Female Athletes | Hediyeh Kazemi: I Gave Up on Employment; Zahra Nemati: I Was Left Behind in the Korean Training Camp!

Several Iranian female athletes, including a national representative, have expressed their grievances regarding the poor conditions in this sector, the lack of attention from government officials and federations to their promises, and the absence of minimal support for them. Hediyeh Kazemi, a national representative of women's rowing in Iran, stated that she has been pursuing employment for 'five years' and ultimately felt that she was getting nowhere, telling the state news agency 'ISNA': 'I gave up.' This national rowing representative added, 'I learned not to get too hopeful about promises,' and noted that the salary received from the federation is insufficient. Women's sports in Iran have faced numerous challenges and limitations over the past decades, including a lack of public facilities and government funding, along with discrimination. In this context, Zahra Nemati, an experienced archer who is set to compete for the Islamic Republic in the Hangzhou Asian Games, mentioned that she is training 'alone' in Tehran and told the 'Mizan' news agency, affiliated with the judiciary of the Islamic Republic, that she was 'left behind' in the training camp in Korea! Zahra Nemati, who has 'three gold medals' from the Paralympics and Olympic experience, is considered one of the well-known figures in Olympic and Paralympic sports in Iran, and she hopes to experience another Olympics and Paralympics in 2024. Iranian female athletes have increased their civil protests against coercion and restrictions despite intensified government pressures since the onset of nationwide protests last year. The article also mentions the ban on women entering Afghanistan's national parks, the Taliban's stance on mandatory hijab, and the Iranian women's Muay Thai team competing without mandatory hijab in Tashkent, with reactions indicating potential 'judicial action.' According to open data from Iran, only 36% of Iranian athletes are women.