Please see on Farsi Version

Please see on Farsi Version

Shirzanan: The final names form Iran women’s national karate team was released but Shahnaz Mirheidari, the Morocco games silver medalist, is not on the list. Mirheidari told Shirzanan that her elimination didn’t have any technical reasons it was only her choice of colorful Mantua and headscarf that made the officials to eliminate me.

Shirzanan: this is not the first time that the members of women’s national squash team are complaining about their unorganized training plans. Instead of the federation, the squash players themselves are worried for the future of the team with no coach and no proper practice plans.

Shirzanan: The world chess championship is in June in Turkey with 64 chess players. Autousa Pourkashian will present the west Asia in this championship.

Shirzanan: The deputy of Judo federation, Pouramin, said, “Athletic Education Organization should look for sponsors for women’s sports.” She continued, “ Unfortunately the budget that the organization gives the sports federations is not enough and does not cover any of women’s international trips and games. So I believe they should look for private investors.”

Shirzanan: Elaheh Kharazmi, Iran’s decorated female canoe rider in kayak said goodbye to the national team. Besides some medical issue that made her to come to this decision, she said that the team was not deployed to Olympic qualifications, despite all their hard practices and this made everybody in the team disappointed.

Shirzanan: The gender discrimination in the news selection of Iran’s 5 national Television channels is not ignorable in today’s world. Akram Sha’bani, the Archer, said, “ The national radio and television pays no attention to women’s sports. I have the forth best archer in the world and they do not say a thing about it on sports programs.”

Shirzanan: The Asian Games qualification competitions for kickboxing that was held in Karaj, Iran, was disappointing due to the low budget that they received from the federation.

How did you come to Iran and how did you marry Mr. Shirzady?

Sussan: He was a student in Philippines in 1979. I met him on 1980 and fortunately we married I was also a student then in another university. We moved to Iran in 1987.

When was the first time you entered the sports world? And why did you choose Swimming?

Sussan: I believe Swimming is the best sport. I chose it because of my kids. I don’t work; A Kermanshahi man demands her wife to stay home. The kids were my excuse to start my activities in swimming and I was successful up to now. Mr. Shirzady: I should explain that before coming to Iran and because of the cultural conditions she did not like to be in any swimming facilities. Sussan: I learned swimming in Iran.

In Philippines women and men share the same pool. I was borne and raised in a very catholic family. Even my school was only for girls. When I was younger I wanted to become a nun, but I married. Mr. Shirzady continues: She did not like their pools. When we came to Iran it was the wartime and after the war ended they built the first swimming pool in our city. From the opening day she was interested and she registered for a class. And later she took the kids.

how many kids do you have? What do they do?

Sussan: Four: three girls and one boy. One of the, is not interested in swimming but the other two are good swimmers and one of them is Iran’s champion with six medals. She has Iran’s record in swimming and she is only one second behind the Asia’s record.

What about you, did you compete in any races?

Sussan: No not at all, I compete in our province competition once I came out second. I was not interested. I was there only for my kids.

What was your first position?

Sussan: I was the coach of Kermanshah team from 2000, but I did not have the coaching federation card then, since I couldn’t write Farsi. There was another coach with me as formality.

couldn’t you get an international certificate?

Sussan: Yes I got that. In 2002 I was invited to Tehran University to be trained in the level one coaching classes and I got my coaching certificate. In 2003 we became the champion of the first national swimming championship. They accepted my English certificate. They allowed me to jump over the level 3 and 2 and get to level one classes. Our team was the champion from 2001 to 2006. But then the head of the athletic education organization was replaced and our problems have begun ever since. I became the head of swimming committee in 2004.

It was both for men and women. Before the change of government I had the support and there was not problem. I accepted the position only if they would help me and they did. Everything has changed since the change of the government. But since I loved my work and I could see that the work that I had started is getting its shape I said I would compromise with them, though unfortunately it did not work.

You got the highest vote among the 6 candidates; they were all men except for you! Was it your own idea to become a nominee for the head of swimming committee?

Sussan: No, I never forget that: We only had one minute to give our future plans. I had written my plans but when I went up there I could only say “let me work for one year if the result was not satisfactory then replace me. And if you were happy I will stay.” Three months to the election everyone was suggesting that I should get nominated and they also told my husband but he didn’t like the idea.

I know it might be an issue for many men and I am not a native Iranian but at the end my husband accepted and I said yes. Mr. Shirzady: I should give a short explanation here: when she started as a coach of women’s team our team (Kermanshah province) was at level 3 rank 8 it means it was the weakest team in the chart. When she was coaching the teams, she wasn’t a certified coach even and it was the first year that the women athletic organizations merged with the swimming federation, but under her supervision the Kermanshah team elevated to level 2 and the year after to level one team in the country. That’s why they asked her to become nominated for the post.

Sussan: They just called it a committee; there was only a stamp and 16000 Tomans (about $20) budget. Everyone made a joke about it. With that money we bout some stationeries and I asked for an office and they gave me one with no chair or desk. We borrowed a desk and some chairs, no computers and no phone. We used other offices for typing our letters, until finally they gave us some more money, 300,000 Tomans and we bout a second hand computer and a fax and a phone.

You did all this only with 300.000 Tomans?

Sussan: yes. When I got the men’s team they had nothing, no coach no previous achievements, nothing. Their timings were mixed up, the diving team, the water polo team and the swimming team all worked at the same time. I finally managed to plan a different schedule for them.

How did they feel when a woman became the head of the committee?

Sussan: They were happy, women were happy of course but men were happy too, they liked the fact that a sports person is the head and not someone with an administration background.

What about the wages and salaries?

Sussan: there was an annual budget from the federation for each province and we got something but it was very small. Mr. Shirzady: The swimmers did not have any salaries; after a year Mrs. Shirzady gave them money out of her own pocket. Sussan: when Ahmadi Nejad became the president the head of sports administration was replaced. And my problems began.

He did not like me because I was a woman but it was so obvious. He visited my office only once. And when I entered his office he won’t look at me. I only work there because I love my job and they don’t pay for anything.

My records is a proof of my achievements, we won the first men’s gold medal when I was in the office, and women’s diving was founded under my supervision. Despite all these I have heard that in the annual meetings the head of the administration wanted to fire me because I was a woman. They started a campaign to fire me without any reason and they gave three names for my replacements.

I knew nothing while the swimming federation was looking for replacements for me and of course in all their reports my performances, as the head of Kermanshah’s swimming committee was perfect and satisfactory. But after a while I found that out and I contacted the federation and they said they don’t know what I am talking about. But at the same time they cut out my budget. They wanted my to quit.

From time to time I started hearing rumors and they started to harassed me so much by various phone calls and their back talks that started to affect on the teams performance. When the federation saw that I am not leaving because of their harassments they pressured me to resign and they offered me other position in women’s team or to work for a private pool or… I went to see the head of the federation again in Tehran and I told him asked him what is the problem.

I am only doing my job and he said yes but the problem is you are a woman. I said when you have a better reason let me know and we agreed that he would reflect the fact that I am the best at my job. Their next tactic was to ignore me, and not to answer my calls or even they did not say hi to me when they saw me.

I was lucky every time to find the budget from other sources and at the last minute to pay for the coaches and the team members. At the end I decided to resign. The other members of committee were extremely upset and they also wrote a letter to the federation in my support. I was very upset that day, but I got better, Thank God.

How is the committee doing now?

Sussan: They have chosen the head and the members of the committee from the people who did not want me there. And they are getting better budget as well.

Was there any complaints that you are giving more budget to women’s team rather than to men’s team? Do you believe in the equal opportunities?

Sussan: Of curse I think the opportunities should be the same for men and women. But I gave most of the resources to men because they had many overseas trips and by regulations women mostly compete in national level.

You have said you don’t want to go back, so why did you write a letter to the Swimming federation?

Sussan: I wrote that letter to answer their false accusations; they say I did not work well with the men’s team. They should prove it and I have my defense. They cannot only accuse me of something without the evidence. If one’s performance is better than anyone else he or she doesn’t matter that person should be the one in charge. They start making rumors that I have a boyfriend and my daughter got some threatening phone calls.

Do you accept other positions now?

Sussan: (she looks at her husband) if he agrees why not. I am the first woman who became the head of swimming committee in the country; the second one is in Mazandaran province. But I guess she doesn’t have any problems her husband is the head of the athletic education organization of the province.

What do you think is the problem of women’s sports in Iran?

Sussan: It is cruel; I don’t want to hurt men’s feelings but it is not enough to only talk about women’s sports and development. You should really value women and respect them as your equals. I have three daughters and I am worried how am I going to trust the people and society.