Zahra Incheh Dargahi Elected as President of the Gymnastics Federation

Zahra Incheh Dargahi was elected as the first female president in the history of gymnastics in Iran, receiving the majority of votes. The election assembly for the Gymnastics Federation was held under the presidency of the Minister of Sports and attended by Davarzani, the Deputy Minister of Elite Sports, at the National Olympic Academy. Zahra Incheh Dargahi, Habib Nozohouri, Reza Mohammad Kazemi, and Shervin Asbaghian were the four candidates for the presidency. Ms. Dargahi was elected with 24 votes for a four-year term, while Asbaghian received 12 votes, and Kazemi and Nozohouri each received four votes. After the management term of Jafar Darvishzadeh ended in Farvardin 95, the ground for holding elections was prepared, but the Ministry of Sports appointed Asbaghian as the caretaker. Asbaghian held this position for a year, despite the fact that according to the laws of the election assembly of federations, managing sports federations with a temporary caretaker for a year is illegal. Taher Alavi, a former member of the Gymnastics Federation's board, commented on the delay in holding elections to Tasnim News Agency, saying, 'I don't know what goal they are pursuing. Asbaghian had sworn that he did not intend to run in the elections.' Interestingly, besides gymnastics, Asbaghian has a history of candidacy for the elections of the rowing, table tennis, polo, and athletics federations. The new president of the Gymnastics Federation promised the presence of this sport in the 2024 Olympics and stated that due to the long-term nature of this sport, a commitment to participate in the Tokyo Olympics cannot be made, but there are many plans for it. Zahra Incheh Dargahi expressed her happiness at gaining the trust of the assembly members and stated that she feels pride and honor in this regard. She mentioned that she aims to take steps to promote this sport. Regarding her plans, she said there will be many programs for expanding elite sports bases in the country and developing gymnastics in schools. National teams need to be rebuilt and revitalized. Dargahi addressed the fact that Iran has not had a representative in the Olympics for 50 years, stating, 'I can promise that gymnastics will definitely participate in the 2024 Olympics, and this is one of our goals.' Dargahi emphasized that they want to resume international competitions and Islamic countries' contests and take significant steps for women's gymnastics in Iran.