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Mohsen Farshidi

The Iranian men’s national football team has qualified for the 2018 World Cup. This qualification was different from previous ones and one of the most important differences was the direct and trouble-free path of the Iranian national team to the most prestigious global tournament in this sport. The competition will be held next year in Russia. Following this qualification, the streets of the country became the scene of thousands of old and young people celebrating. These streets, which are the only spaces where women can be present alongside men to celebrate various sporting achievements. Women’s presence to watch sports matches in stadiums has been banned for almost four decades since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution in Iran. Although this ban has been lifted in some limited cases and in some sporting events, women are still deprived of attending sports stadiums in general.

Shortly after that, the men’s volleyball World Championship was held in Tehran. The Islamic Republic of Iran Federation had guaranteed the presence of women in the stadium, otherwise the federation could face heavy international sanctions. However, upon visiting the ticket sales section, it became clear that the allocated seats for women did not actually exist and women were not able to purchase tickets. The federation responded to protests by stating that the women’s allocation had quickly been filled. The limited and hand-picked presence of around 300 women in the stadium showed that from the beginning, there was no decision to allow women to attend the volleyball matches, and this action was only taken to appease the international federation.

Shortly before these elections and the time for campaign advertisements for presidential candidates, women were present alongside men in the country’s stadiums to support their chosen candidate, and some candidates had promised to follow up on this issue. Election meetings were held in various sports stadiums with the presence of thousands of men and women sitting together, raising the question for many as to why women and men are present together in farewell ceremonies for athletes, celebrations, concerts, or election meetings, and why there are restrictions for women to attend sporting events. This issue seems to have turned into a confrontation between conservative and religious factions of the government and women, with neither side willing to compromise on their demands; some parts of the government want to maintain this prohibition, while women see it as their fundamental right to attend stadiums.

Different governments, regardless of their political orientations, have always promised to pursue this issue in the past years and periods, which seems to have a promotional color and scent, and so far none of them have taken on the true color and it does not seem that there has been any serious intention from governments in this regard.

Since the beginning of the Islamic Revolution in 1979, the presence of women in various fields, including sports competitions and attending sporting events, has been restricted and prohibited. Initially, women’s sports were completely eliminated and then limited to certain fields and domestic competitions. However, attending sporting events has always been a challenge for political and sports authorities in the country. A challenge that seems to have its roots in the will of some religious and clerical authorities in cities like Qom and Mashhad.

Although in the past years, women have tried in various ways, including gathering in front of the country’s stadiums or wearing clothes that gave them a “masculine appearance”, to enter their sports stadiums – and in some cases have been successful – but these efforts have always been met with resistance from various influential parties within the government. These are parties that do not seem to have a serious intention to change this trend, and are in opposition to women who do not seem to be willing to give up their fundamental right.