This is so MESSED UP IRAN!
It was announced a couple of months ago that Iran would be singing a different tune and would start allowing women to enter the stadium and watch sports, ie volleyball.
Sadly, they were still banned from watching the two Iran vs USA World League matches over the weekend.
Bottom line is women are still NOT allowed to watch sports. This news continues to make world headlines and has sadly overshadowed the success of Iranian volleyball in the ongoing tournament.
Watch This:
Iran banned women from attending the US vs. Iran volleyball game Friday night after Iran’s Vice President for Women and Family Affairs Shahindokht Molaverdi announced earlier this month that a limited number of women would be allowed at upcoming men’s volleyball matches. The announcement came on Friday from an official from Iran’s volleyball federation who said, “the entry of women at volleyball matches is forbidden.” Why did Iran back-pedal on the issue? We look at the story on the Lip News with Jo Ankier and Jose Marcelino Ortiz.
Then according to this article:
Two hundred tickets for Iran’s keenly anticipated clash with the US at the Azadi sport complex in Tehran were reserved for women, but security officials at the stadium refused to allow them in to see the game.
Women have been banned from attending sporting events since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, but Hassan Rouhani’s moderate government has been trying to relax the restrictions.
An Iranian volleyball official said the 200 women’s tickets had not been approved by security officials and so were not valid. Hardliners have recently stepped up their campaign against women watching live sport, handing out posters in central Tehran branding female volleyball fans as prostitutes and sluts.
This other article explains on where the FIVB stands in regards to this issue which is making world headlines:
Volleyball’s governing body, the FIVB, said it was monitoring the situation closely. It remains to be seen whether it would intervene to stop the events should it become clear that Tehran will not sell tickets to women.
“The FIVB has been informed that there is no change to Iran’s previous decision to ease its ban on women attending sporting events,” a federation spokesperson told the Guardian. “The FIVB is monitoring the situation and will liaise closely with the international federation of volleyball officials onsite, to monitor Iran’s conditions for hosting the 26th FIVB world league.
“The FIVB remains totally committed to ensuring inclusivity and the right of women to participate in sport on an equal basis all around the world.”
Read This:
There were reports of heavy security around the arena. Protests had been discussed on social media – a Facebook page called “Women’s Revolution” invited people to demonstrate outside the stadium.
Religious hardliners had reacted angrily to the apparent softening of restrictions.
Ansar-e Hezbollah, a religious vigilante group, issued a statement earlier this week likening female spectators to prostitutes and calling on its supporters to prevent them from entering the stadium.
“We are taking a stand against legalising the presence of prostitutes… in stadiums,” the group said in a flyer distributed in Tehran. “This Friday there will be blood,” it added.
Come on Iran!
The times have changed.
Why make it so hard for women to cheer and support your teams?
Despite the headlines, Iranians still found every reason to celebrate after their team defeated USA twice.
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