Hosting of Volleyball Club Championship and U23 Championship Taken Away from Iran

The Asian Volleyball Confederation has revoked Iran's hosting of the Asian Club Championship and the U23 Championship. However, the most surprising decision for Iranian volleyball fans is the cancellation of the direct qualification for the Asian champion to the 2016 Olympics. Iran had hoped that by hosting the Asian Championship next year and securing the first place, it would qualify for the Olympics for the first time. The Asian Confederation has not revoked the hosting of the Asian Championship but has undermined the credibility of the competitions by eliminating the Olympic quota from these events. The head of international relations at the Iranian Volleyball Federation expressed ignorance about the reasons for the revocation of the two hostings, stating: "I do not know why these hostings were taken away and given to Myanmar in the silence of Muslim countries. The president of the Asian Confederation lacks the necessary authority." He questioned why confirmed hostings were taken away from Iran, saying: "My question is the same. How did Islamic countries agree to hold the Club Championship in Myanmar? Myanmar has many political problems with Muslims. I do not know what happened that two other hostings were also taken from Iran." However, the opinion of the president of the Volleyball Federation is completely different, as he believes that Iran's hostings have not been revoked. Mohammad Reza Davarzani stated: "We somehow exchanged with them. We gave the U23 hosting and took the Asian Championship. We did not insist on hosting the Club Championship. Since 2012, we decided not to accept any Asian hostings anymore." While the Iranian Volleyball Federation expresses ignorance about the reasons for the Asian Confederation's decisions, this federation published a report on its news site after the temporary release of Ghancheh Ghavami from prison and the resolution of the hosting issue for the Asian Championship, titled "Davarzani's Diplomacy Worked." Ghancheh Ghavami was among those who wanted to watch the match between Iran and Italy in the World Volleyball League and was arrested, spending more than three months in prison. As protests intensified from various volleyball teams worldwide and the International Federation, Ms. Ghavami was released on bail of 100 million tomans while sentenced to one year in prison and two years of travel ban. However, the Iranian Volleyball Federation did not mention the Ghancheh Ghavami incident on its website, stating: "Davarzani in Thailand, during separate meetings with the heads of various federations, Dr. Ary Grasa, the president of FIVB, and Ben Nasser, the president of AVC, secured their agreement for Iran's hosting again." Now, with the recent decision, it seems that the diplomacy of the Iranian federation will not have significant application until women are allowed into stadiums. Saeed Derakhshandeh, the head of international relations of this federation, commented on the Asian champion not qualifying for the Olympics and being forced to participate in the qualifying tournaments, saying: "Champions from all continents go to the Olympics except Asia. Non-Asian countries also participate in the Asian qualifying tournament. Unfortunately, the management of the Asian Confederation is very weak." Derakhshandeh believes: "The Confederation must defend the rights of the continent. They should cancel the qualifying tournament and send the Asian champion to the Olympics. We hope for a reconsideration. In the competition committee meeting, they said they do not have time to hold qualifiers and send the Asian champion to the Olympics. However, some influences have changed this plan." East Asian countries insist on holding the Olympic qualifying competitions in Japan. Now Iran has proposed that they can hold the Asian Championship wherever they want, even in Japan, but not allow non-Asian countries to participate in the Olympic qualifiers. Mr. Derakhshandeh told ISNA: "The president of the World Federation was seeking votes from Asian countries until a year ago, but now that it is time to give Asia its rights, I do not know why this Confederation does not exert power." Currently, the champion and runner-up of the 2015 World Cup, winners of four qualifying tournaments, and four continental champions (South America, Europe, Africa, and North America-Central) along with the host Brazil receive 12 Olympic quotas.