Iranian Women's Handball Team Suffers Third Loss at 2023 World Championship

After two losses to European teams Poland and Germany, Iran's team faced a heavy defeat against Japan in their third and final group stage match. In this match held in Herning, Denmark, one of the three host countries of the 26th Women's Handball World Championship, Japan won with a score of 42 to 10, setting a record for the most goals scored among Asian teams in this tournament. The victory by a 32-point margin marks Japan's largest win in the history of their participation in world competitions, achieved while their top scorer in the first two games, center defender Natsuki Aizawa, was benched against Iran. After two close losses of 31-30 to Germany and 32-40 to Poland, Japan dominated Iran, leading 20-3 at halftime and 22-7 in the second half. The last four matches between the Iranian and Japanese women's teams clearly demonstrate Japan's dominance, and while experts expected an easy win for Japan, the 32-point difference and the record-setting high score for an Asian team was not anticipated by many. Japan, with their first win in the 2023 World Championship, advanced to the main round, where they will face Denmark, Romania, and the winner of the Serbia-Chile match, without counting the points from their victory against Iran. The Iranian women's handball team, with three losses, did not qualify for the top 16 teams in the main competition. Iran also, with three losses, scored 47 goals and conceded 122, resulting in a goal difference of minus 75, finishing fourth and failing to qualify for the top 16 teams. The loss to Japan marks the ninth defeat for Iran's women's handball team in their two consecutive appearances at the World Championships. The Iranian women, still seeking their first victory in world competitions, will compete in the President's Cup, a tournament for rankings from 16th to 32nd. The Iranian women's national handball team qualified for the World Championship for the second consecutive time by finishing fourth in Asia, and there have been significant changes compared to the previous tournament in Spain in 2021 and the 2022 Islamic Games. Many players from the youth and junior national teams have joined the squad. Mina Vatanparast, Hanieh Lak, Arzu Mohammadi, Sanaz Rajabi, Maideh Eshaqi, Fatemeh Marikh, Setareh Rahmanian, Asra Zandi, Arzu Kiani Ara, Bahar Izadgash, Atiyeh Shahsavari, Zahra Faqihi, Nasrin Ghodzari Farahani, Fatemeh Khalili Behfar, Hadith Norouzi, and Mehrban Badavi are the 16 players representing Iran in the 26th World Championship. While Iran had Ezzatollah Razmgar as head coach in the previous World Championship, this time, the head coach of the youth and junior girls' teams, Gholamali Akbarabadi, is leading the senior national team. As in the previous tournament, Khadijeh Ghaneh is the coach, and Akram Habiblu serves as the physiotherapist, with Elham Saluki as the team manager in Denmark. The 26th Women's Handball World Championship is being held from November 30 to December 26, hosted by Norway, Denmark, and Sweden, with the Iranian women's handball team competing in Herning, Denmark. The Iranian women's national handball team is participating in the tournament under mandatory hijab, and the challenges faced by the players in maintaining their hijab during competitions have not gone unnoticed by the media and spectators. The defection of Shaghayegh Bapiri, a national player, at the end of the 2021 World Championship in Spain has led the federation and the Ministry of Sports of the Islamic Republic to implement stricter security measures to prevent such incidents, including requiring higher guarantee checks from the players' families to minimize the possibility of defections. Shaghayegh Bapiri explains the struggles of Iranian handball girls competing with unequal facilities and restrictions. She discusses her personal and athletic life after seeking asylum, the difficulties of competing with mandatory hijab, and how it affects concentration. Bapiri states that instead of improving facilities, the number of security personnel has increased, which diminishes focus and efficiency. In her first interview with Voice of America, she shares her reasons for seeking asylum. Ali Emadi provides details about Bapiri's departure from the national team's camp and the possibility of her seeking asylum. The Vice President of the International Handball Federation tells Iranian female athletes, 'You can do it if you want to.' Bapiri criticizes the federation for increasing security personnel instead of enhancing facilities. Exclusive to Voice of America, Parisa Jahanfekrian reports that she had to choose between staying in Iran and achieving championship success. The disappearance of another sports champion raises concerns, with the Weightlifting Federation stating they will negotiate to bring back Yekta Jamali. The Minister of Sports criticizes the migration and asylum-seeking of national athletes, stating that enemies are sharpening their teeth. The Ministry of Sports of the Islamic Republic has announced a ban on women's activities in bodybuilding until further notice.