HRW: Women Attending FIVB Iran Matches Possibly at Risk -- Federations Focus

(ATR) Human Rights Watch activists say that women who attend the International Volleyball Federation (FIVB) World Tour opener in Iran could face delayed incarceration.

"The FIVB is saying that women won't be turned away at the turnstiles, but it's not fair to the women who want to attend – they will be exposing their identity to the authorities in a country where it is illegal for women to be in the stadiums," HRW global initiatives director Minky Worden told the International Business Times.

Worden says the Iranian authorities could target those who attend the matches at the Kish Island Open after the event concludes. The country has a history of arresting women for attending sports events, as in 2014 when 20 women were arrested for attending a volleyball match in Tehran.

Iran was awarded the event with the stipulation that women must be allowed to attend the matches, according to FIVB communications director Richard Baker. However, the guarantee could not be offered by the Iranian organizers until the beginning of February – just two weeks prior to the start of the event on Feb. 15.

"At this match we have succeeded in allowing Iranian women to attend," says Baker. "This is an opportunity for us to be a positive agent for change."

The beginning of the World Tour in Iran marks the first time the country has had the opportunity to stage a World Tour event. The event will conclude on Feb. 19.

FIVB will return to Iran in July for select Volleyball World League matches. No word has been provided as to whether women will be allowed to attend these matches in the summer.

FIG President: Gymnastics Reinforced its Credibility

International Gymnastics Federation (FIG) President Bruno Grandi used his appearance at the International Sports Press Association (AIPS) Congress in Qatar on Wednesday to explain the changes that have strengthened the credibility of his sport.

Grandi talked about the introduction of a new code of points and a system for evaluating judges as the reasons behind his sport becoming "one of the three "top tier" Olympic sports."

Grandi spearheaded the change 10 years ago in the code from one score to a combination of two: A score given for difficulty and another for execution. Under the old system, degree of difficulty was not part of the equation.

The other point was the creation of a system to ensure the competency and honesty of the judges.

Grandi explained to the AIPS Congress, "During this last Olympic cycle, we have established a system for evaluating judges. After each World Championships, the scores of each judge are analyzed using different criteria. The system is very complex, but it allows us to identify the outliers among the scores, and the judges who give them."

"After the 2014 World Championships, the disciplinary commission sanctioned 7 Artistic Gymnastics judges and 5 Rhythmic Gymnastics judges for errors or attempts to favorize gymnasts from their own federations.

This same evaluation system has permitted us to recognize the excellence of the vast majority of our judges. From this we have drawn a list of judges who will be on the job this year at the Rio Olympic Games. They are thereby not chosen by their federations, but because of the work they have done."

WBSC Premier12 Reaches Millions Worldwide

The World Baseball Softball Confederation says its inaugural Premier12 tournament reached more than 250 million viewers worldwide.

"The Premier12 was an overwhelming success that generated valuable exposure for our partners, our sport and the players themselves," said WBSC president Riccardo Fraccari.

In addition to total viewership, the tournament produced an estimated $131 million of advertising value and brand exposure for the federation and tournament sponsors.

The audience and sponsorship measurements were conducted by sports marketing and research firm SMG Insight.

The tournament brought together 12 of the best national teams in the world and was staged in Japan and Taiwan in November 2015. The event garnered the best viewership, ratings and media coverage of all international sports in Japan and Taiwan in 2015.

"The reach, coverage and commercial power of the inaugural WBSC Premier12 further highlight the continued international appeal of baseball and how it could serve as an Olympic sport," says Fraccari.

The WBSC aims to rejoin the Olympic program by the Tokyo 2020 Games.

Written by Kevin Nutley and Gerard Farek

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