Interview
Shirzanan Interviews with the Daughter of Iran’s Squash
We Think about the International Competitions
Shirzanan-writer/Shabnam Shakkourian-translator/roja najafi:Although they have just moved to the new house and the boxes are still lined up near the wall, when I ask her to hold her racket and pose for my camera Sahar kindly accepts. She is looking for a squash racket that her mother finds one from a box and gave it to her. Sahar is surprised. This is her first squash racket and she did not know that her mother had kept it all these years.
Sport: Squash
Sahar Saramy is the first Iranian woman who has became the member of (WISPA) the women professional squash player’s association.
Q: When did you start playing squash? A: After gymnastic and swimming I started to lay tennis. But since I did not like tennis much I start to play squash. We were living in Kish Island and there are good squash courts near tennis courts.
Q: How being a member of WISPA helps you? A: the first thing is that for participating in any international tournament one should be a WISPA member. Then of course a players name and ranking would be documented all over the world. Because of a few international games that we were participating Iran does not have a good ranking and we should work on that. Also because of our Islamic clothing we could not play in most of the games.
Q: Does this outfits or other Islamic regulations prevent you from working with male coaches? A: Yes of course, my first coach was a Pakistani man. But the regulations and obstacles were so unbearable for him that he left. We cannot even watch men’s squash games freely.
