Tonia Vali Oghli has been a member of the Iranian national swimming team since the age of 12 and holds records in the 200-meter and 100-meter backstroke, as well as the 400-meter individual medley in the 7th Asian Games held in Tehran in 1974. She has a history of participating in multiple world competitions and won a bronze medal for Iran in the youth competition in Belgrade.

Ms. Valioghli, in addition to swimming, has also been involved in other sports such as table tennis and skiing. This veteran swimmer, who after the revolution in 1984 was expelled and banned from studying at university by the Cultural Revolution Council, was forced to leave the country due to increased pressure and the issuance of an arrest warrant. During her last years in Iran, she made commendable efforts as a swimming coach and in other areas to preserve this sport for Iranian women. Currently, she resides in the United States and is an expert in sports issues.

The peace line has been sought in a conversation with Tonia Valioghli to inquire about her opinion regarding the conditions of women’s sports in Iran before and after the revolution.

In your opinion, what has been the fate of women’s sports in Iran after the revolution? Also, considering the existing limitations, in which fields (professionally) are Iranian women deprived of participation and how are these deprivations?

Unfortunately, after the revolution, sports took on a gendered form. From the very days that they prevented our mixed presence in swimming pools, we were aware of this issue. Gender segregation not only divided the Iranian sports community into two halves, but from the very beginning, it also led to prohibitions and restrictions in many fields for women. Keep in mind that in the three main and mother sports, namely swimming, track and field, and gymnastics, women are unable to participate in international competitions due to dress restrictions, and as a result, these sports have not been addressed. For example, in relation to swimming – which was my own field – if a swimsuit is designed for Iranian female swimmers today that is approved by the World Federation and our girls can finally participate in various competitions held in mixed halls, they will not be successful in competing with their opponents. Because they have neither a quota nor a record, nor have they grown enough in terms of level and ability to compete with their

Therefore, when we talk about women’s sports in Iran, we must consider all the small and large issues. Regarding the recent discussions about the sanctions on international competitions, we must ask which sport, which sanction, which competition, which women’s team, and which progress?!

Do you think that if these limitations did not exist, swimming, which is your specialty, would have a different position among Iranian women?

After the revolution, in the summer of 1958, the only sport that held national championships and women also held their own separate competitions was swimming. This was due to the situation during the revolution, including strikes and events on September 8th, where several international competitions in sports such as basketball, table tennis, and wrestling were not held. The reason was the absence of teams from other countries or the cancellation of competitions by their federations in Iran.

For years, we have been actively involved in teaching swimming and lifeguarding to prevent this field from being destroyed and to keep its foundations alive for future generations and for other girls who are interested in it, including my own sisters. Currently, in other countries, being able to swim is considered as important as being literate, while in Iran, many women have never even touched water.

From my perspective, Iran has not opened any paths for women in the sports community during the approximately 38 years since the revolution. It should be noted that during this time, many new sports have been added at the global level. However, it has not been the case that Iran has invested in new or specific sports and encouraged women to participate in them. Young girls have been drawn towards any sport they desired, and for example, if that sport was active in the men’s section, they were attracted to it. Then, with their own efforts and not with the help of officials, they achieved success in that sport and were able to continue their activities by accepting appropriate clothing. As a result, over time, their path became more open and they created a space for themselves for the Iranian government to pay attention to that sport.

We tried very hard to prevent swimming from being eliminated, but unfortunately the level of swimming education in society is very low and according to statistics, many people, especially women in Iran, do not know how to swim. In this regard, we have had several tragedies; including the drowning of female students on a boat in Mellat Park, the drowning of the national canoeing champion in Karaj dam, and the drowning of the national rowing champion in Anzali marsh. Of course, it is true that these incidents can happen and may occur in other parts of the world as well, but it is certainly due to the low level of swimming in that society and the lack of proper rescue measures.

In recent years, Iranian female athletes have been successful in many fields at the Asia level or in comparison to other Islamic countries, despite all limitations. What do you think is the reason for this issue?

If we want our criteria for women’s success in sports to be only winning medals at the international level or qualifying for the Olympics, then we must say that Iranian female athletes have been successful. Our women have been able to earn 8 Olympic quotas in London 2012 and 9 quotas in Rio 2016. In this regard, we must mention that our field athletes are doing well, as Leila Rajabi has participated in two Olympics and won the gold medal in the Asian Games. However, in my opinion, this is not the right way to evaluate women’s sports. We should look at the growth of sports in a country from the grassroots level. Paying attention to the level of physical activity and movement of individuals in the sports field, the extent of universal sports in society, and how much attention and budget is given to sports are all important factors. If we pay attention to these issues and have a high level of physical activity, we will naturally have more and easier talent identification

Basically, in sports, it is the responsibility of sports federations to provide facilities and coaches to develop athletes and prepare them for competitions. However, unfortunately, this process has not been carried out in many fields in Iran. When we read the interviews of Ms. Elaheh Ahmadi – who ranked fifth in shooting at the London Olympics – we realize that her father provided the conditions for her and she trained with her father. Also, in most combat sports, if we look at the biographies of women who have achieved a certain level, we see that their brothers are champions in the same field and they have been trained and developed through them. Another example is Ms. Neda Shahsavari, who received a quota for the Olympics in table tennis and improved her ranking in world competitions. Part of her training was done outside of the federation’s training and under the supervision of a private coach. Even Ms. Leila Rajabi, who has a very high level and is one of

It means that you believe these individuals are exceptions and that women’s sports in Iran have not made much progress after the revolution.

Let me give you an example about myself. I set a record in 53 and 55 that has not been broken for over twenty years. This is not because I was great, but rather it shows how much weakness exists in this sport; to the point that no other swimmer has been able to grow and reach that record.

As I mentioned, in our country we usually have unbeatable champions and the second place in various women’s sports is far behind the first place in the same field. This issue shows weaknesses in areas such as quantity or number of athletes and facilities. Of course, you may say that currently the number of female athletes has increased compared to, for example, 40 years ago. I accept this increase in numbers, but since the country’s population has reached nearly 80 million from 35 million, I do not consider this comparison accurate. Also, at that time there were only 16 sports in the Asian level competitions, in which we (if I’m not mistaken) participated in 8 of them, but currently the number of sports and competitions is so different and numerous that it is not even countable. It should also not be forgotten that the information revolution has taken place in the world. This information revolution has made it easy for information about any new sport to be transmitted to enthusiasts in Iran

In fact, my point is that despite the overall growth of sports at a global level and the history of women’s sports in Iran before the revolution, the quantity and quality of sports in Iran have not seen much improvement and the Islamic Republic has not given any value to female athletes.

What do you think has been the reason for not giving equal opportunities, which has hindered the progress of women in sports?

The policy of the Islamic Republic regarding women’s sports has undergone changes during the years following the revolution. In the first two decades, the policy was such that they did not value championship sports, did not participate in the Olympics, and only said that they wanted to export Islam. But from the 1990s onwards, when women participated in the Olympics for the first time after the revolution, they changed their policy. In these games, they chose a female shooter as the flag bearer for the Iranian team. The reason given for this was that “we want to show the world that our society is an Islamic society” and they referred to her hijab and headscarf as the flag of Islam. Even in the Rio Olympics, when Kimia Alizadeh won the first Olympic medal for Iranian women’s sports, officials – including Mr. Rouhani – stated that “your presence with your hijab is more valuable to us than the medal you have won and brought home.” All of these

Mrs. Vali Oghli, how do you predict the future of women’s sports in Iran?

In my opinion, the trend of everything is moving forward and positive, and I believe the reason for that is the youthfulness of Iranian society. In today’s world of communication, you cannot restrict the desires and aspirations of young Iranians and prevent them from pursuing their dreams. This is why we see that in various fields – including many sports – the younger generation, with their enthusiastic and curious nature, continues to move forward and introduce themselves to the world. This is also reflected in their attitude towards the restrictions imposed by the Islamic Republic. For example, not long ago, the leader of the Islamic Republic officially declared women riding bicycles with unrelated men as forbidden, but the youth of Iran, especially girls, spoke out about their personal and social freedoms and said that we live in this society and cycling is a necessity for our transportation and health, and they continue to ride their bicycles.

Thank you for the opportunity you have given us.