Shirzanan: Sailing is a newborn activity in Iran. Please see the pictures HERE.

Iran’s women national handball team lost their game to Kazakhstan team. Iran lost 18 to 33. Iran’s women’s handball team had 6 rounds of preparatory camps.

10 teams were participating in Asian handball competitions and Iran was in Group A with Kazakhstan, Japan, South Korea and Uzbekistan. On Sunday Iran was playing against Japan.

This is her second injury this year, she was just recovering form her first injury.

Leila Ibrahimi, told Shirzanan, “While practicing for national tracks and field league, I was injured. My doctor advised me to stop my practices and rest; so I cannot compete in the last round of this year’s league.”

In many cases if there is no sponsors the women’s teams cannot continue working. One of these teams is the women’s volleyball team in Easter Azerbaijan province. They are seeking for sponsors among the heads of companies and Industrial sites.

Parvaneh Nazarali, the deputy manager of the triple sports federations, told Shirzanan, “ Cycling and running races, were very successful and both people and athletes were inspired by the league. So we decided to have them in dual level as well.”

Shirzanan reports that based on public communication of public sports federation, these classes in Zahedan was very well received. Although this province is one of the most underprivileged provinces in Iran, its native women are still making efforts towards athletic activities.

The competitions start on November 29th. Iran women’s team has 3 players, N. Amiripour, S. Zamanian and S. Kabiri. The grand prizeis $15000 .

..... Last year Iran’s women’s karate team participated in Morocco Karate championship with Islamic athletic outfit. Afsharzadeh explained, “ In our letter to IKF we will explain how much problem this will cause for Muslim women and we will emphasis the social damage that this attitude will bring for the development of women’s sports in Muslim countries such as Iran.”

Different people had different reactions toward Sepasi’s performance in Tokyo. Women’s committee, Youth and Family Committee and Sports and physical health committee in Iran’s parliament congratulated Sepasi in her brave performance in defending her Hijab, Also, the head of women’s student Basij in Iran, Masoumeh Haj Hossieni, supported the two women karateka and told reporters, “The two female karate champions rightfully defended their Islamic values. The referee was unfair; and those who pretend they want to defend Human Rights, but cannot bare religious beliefs, should be ashamed of their actions!”

Even Mahmood Ahmadinejd, Iran’s president congratulated this action and admired Helen Sepasi’s performance as the true face of Iranian young generation. Iran’s president asked PEO and Iran’s Karate federation to pass on to IKF his disapproval of their regulations against headscarf.

Two important questions to be answered here are: Why IKF does not permit competitors with headscarf? And the other is why Iran’s Krate team knowing about the regulations participated in these competitions?

Rshrat Mohammady, the deputy manager of Iran’s Karate federation, says, “IKF could have saved us a trip, because they knew we are sending female athletes and they knew all our female athletes have Islamic attire. They could have written us warning us about this.” She continued, “Muslim women in sports should use this in their advantage and use it in helping to change the IKF regulation.”

Behzad Katiraie, the head of Karate federation, says a different story, he believes that this was a risky matter and they hope for the change of these regulations eventually and especially now that the matter is publicized. He explained, “ in the past 9 months we were in correspondence with IKF and in all those we stated our Islamic outfit as the formal attire for the Karate games. They knew we will send an athlete with Islamic outfit.”

Helen Sepasi is the quietest figure in this amalgam. In her only interview with IRNA, Helen Sepasi said, “Hijab is not an obstacle for Iranian women karate athletes: they are in a very good shape technically. While Iran men’s karateh team is in a very good shape: it is because of the IKF’s regulations that Iran women’s team cannot be as experienced as their men’s team.”

People’s opinions are also very interesting here: This even was the most interesting news regarding the readers’ feedbacks.

Dadshi in Tiban Site writes, “Hooray, she is a real Lioness woman – (Shirzan) she stod by her beliefs.” Anonymous writes, “ The important thing is to follow God’s order. The championship in this world worth’s nothing. I thank her for being a true example.” In opposite to these admiring views, Merlin writes in Balatarin website, “ Dear friends, please not that using any religious symbol in international athletic competitions are forbidden. There was not action against Islamic Hijab in particular.” And Ghazal writes, “ Why don’t we assume for once that she [Helen] chose to go with her headscarf and was not forced by anyone. If we assume that, then isn’t this Karate rule discriminatory and against the freedom of individuals and their beliefs?” there are many views on this incident.

Although Iranian officials are optimistic about this incident and they are hoping for the IKF rules to change soon, by sure Helen Sepasi does not have a happy memory of this trip. People’s opinion, government’s congratulation and sports reporters analysis, cannot be replaced by an athlete’s energetic feelings towards a fair and right competitions.

The age groups are under 14, 14-18, 19-30, 31-40, 41-50 and 51 to older; in team competitions teams under 35: the results were as follows, Karaj Taekwondo committee is in first place, followed by Fars and Golistan teams.

In team competition for older than 35, Gilan province and Tehran province became first and second.

...... It is said that you wrote a letter to the Islamic Confederation Organization and in it you have requested that the Karate Referee, who based on his duties, disqualified Helen Sepasi because of her Hijab from a karate game, to be band from any further referee position in Islamic Games. I don’t know if you have contact with the Karate federation about this? I don’t even know if you were following the news about Helen Sepasi? But to make some things clear I need to explain a couple of points here.

A) You may know that Qanoon, is the Arabic version of the Greek world Canon, and in Farsi it translate to setting limits and borders for things, acts…; Passing these limits and border lines has its consequences and sometimes punishments. For example if we have a law that makes Islamic Hijab mandatory in Iran, any one who lives inside Iran whoever she is, weather Muslim or religious minority, she has to have a Islamic headscarf. If she does not wear it she is punishable by the law. The same law is applied to foreigners who live in Iran. Respectably, when we have a regulation and article among the International Karate Rules, which indicates having headscarves is against the rules of Karate and karateka women or men with headscarves are not allowed to compete in official international karate games, we should follow this law. This means until the time this rule is still in effect, Muslim karateka women are not allowed to compete in international competitions.

B) The officials in Iran Karate Federation were aware of this regulation; they risked deploying an Iranian female Karateka to these competitions because the head of International Karate Federation had stated in Morocco, that he doesn’t have any problem with the Islamic outfit in Karate. This statement was a personal statement and did not reflect the official position of the IKF, and that’s why before the deployment of Iran’s national Karate team, Behzad Katiraie, the head of Iran’s Karate Federation, said hat there might still be no official permission. Katiraie said, “ Even if the permission for the Islamic headscarf was not ready, this will be a great chance for our female Karatekas to be presence and this will make it easier for us to change this regulation against Hijab.”

C) Many people believe that Helen Sepasi’s disqualification because of her Hijab will help all other Muslim women in Karate. The fact that women with headscarves are not able to officially compete in Karate competitions is discriminatory and has been around for so many years. Helen Sepasi’s presence and her disqualification only because of her headscarf brought this issue to the public attention. This event raised many criticisms towards IKF policy and in a long term it will help the law to be change in favor of Muslim women.

D) Mr. Safaie, please believe that like yourself, we are also upset that two of Iran’s best female athletes in Karate were not able to compete in this important competition. And of course instead of writing this letter to you, I would have loved to report on the glories performance of our female karateka. But I believe if we criticize without getting emotional and if we accept criticism without irritation we will move faster towards our mutual goal, which is to eliminate all obstacles for healthier and better Women’s Sports in Iran. I am sure your letter to the Islamic confederation would have been more effective if it was not emotionally charged. I hope for better days in Iran’s women’s sports.