Deputy for Women in the Ministry of Sports: Women Will Return to Stadiums

Rababeh Shahrian, the Deputy for Women in the Ministry of Sports and Youth, announced on Wednesday that according to the latest decision, part of the sports halls will be allocated for female spectators. According to the Iranian Students' News Agency (ISNA), Ms. Shahrian explained that she had discussed this matter with Mohammad Reza Davarzani, the head of the Volleyball Federation, and it was decided that a portion of the halls would be dedicated to women to avoid any issues with Iran's hosting rights. Previously, it had been decided that Iran would host the World Youth Volleyball Championships, but on November 9, the International Volleyball Federation announced that this hosting would be given to Argentina. An official from this federation stated that as long as women cannot attend stadiums in Iran, no new hosting rights will be granted to Iran. The sports site 'Inside' also reported that the International Volleyball Federation intends to review the hosting rights for next year's Asian Championship as well. The story of women's absence from stadiums in Iran gained international attention when a dual-national Iranian-British girl was arrested. Ghoncheh Ghavami, a 25-year-old woman, went to Azadi Stadium on June 30 to watch the match between Iran and Italy, but officials prevented her and other women from entering, detaining them but releasing them the same day. A few days later, when Ms. Ghavami returned to the detention center to retrieve her personal belongings, she was arrested again and has been in prison since then. Since Ms. Ghavami was arrested due to her eagerness to watch volleyball, the International Volleyball Federation has paid special attention to her case. Heads of federations from 200 countries wrote a letter to Hassan Rouhani demanding her release, and the President of the International Volleyball Federation has mentioned this case several times in his speeches, calling for her freedom. The Volleyball Federation stated that it cannot directly intervene in the issue of women's presence or absence in Iranian stadiums and eventually decided to revoke Iran's hosting rights. This issue prompted a response from someone in the Ministry of Sports. Ms. Shahrian calls this a political issue and interprets it as outside the laws related to sports events. However, she goes on to say that Iran is preparing the groundwork for hosting and thus part of the sports halls will be allocated to women. Iran is one of the few countries where watching football matches inside stadiums is prohibited for women, and other sports like volleyball have recently been banned as well.