By Jubin Katiraie
Iran’s Athletics Federation has invalidated its record for the fastest female runner in track and field and asked Istanbul, where the tournament was being held, to declare the victory null and void.
Farzaneh Fasihi also smashed her personal best at the 60 meters indoor Track and Field Championships, completing it in just 7.25 seconds. She previously won the World Indoor Athletics Championships entry record in Serbia Belgrade Competition with 7.29.
This is just the latest in a long line of misogynist actions by the government against Iranian women in sport.
Football
In Iranian women’s football, inexperienced referees who have not once worked in the Premier League are now referring the matches, according to Maryam Irandoost, the head coach of women’s national football team.
She said this is because experienced referees were barred from working on those matches because of their protests in November over not receiving their wages.
Futsal
While in Iranian futsal, which is similar to football, the same thing is happening, according to Saedeh Iranmanesh, the head coach of the Kerman team. She said that all the head coaches are disappointed with the inexperienced referees this season, but that because the matches aren’t televised and the officials not listening to women, the referees’ mistakes are ignored.
Iranmanesh, who was suspended by the disciplinary committee and given a fine of 10 million tomans for allegedly insulting and publishing false statements against a referee, argued that this would not happen to the men’s team because it is televised and men are believed.
This is happening even though the Iranian women’s futsal team won the Asian Championship in 2018, so one can’t claim a lack of skill or entertainment for refusing to air the matches on TV.
The refusal to air the team’s championship game is a political challenge for the Iranian regime and something that frustrates the women’s futsal team.
Watching sports
Meanwhile, regarding the ban on women entering stadiums to watch sport, the world’s governing body for football, FIFA, has told the Football Federation of Iran to provide relevant facilities for women to watch three upcoming soccer events in the country.
FIFA said Iran must:
- Allocate more seats to women in World Cup qualification games
- Allow women to enter stadiums in matches played by Iranian teams in the AFC Champions League
- Allow women to watch their favorite team in the national league at stadiums from June
Read More:
Misogyny in Iran and the Role of the Women in the November Iran Protests
Female Iranian Athletes Leave Country; Not to Return
Iranian Women Have the Highest Suicide Rate in the Middle East
