Volleyball Fed Marks Progress in Iran

(ATR) The International Federation of Volleyball (FIVB) is celebrating progress made by the Iranian government this weekend.

On April 4, Iran deputy sports minister Abdolhamid Ahmadi announced a plan to allow "women and families" to enter sports stadiums.

"The FIVB welcomes the news that Iran is easing its ban on women attending sporting events," FIVB president Ary Graca said in a statement released on Tuesday.

Concerns over the ban peaked following the arrest of Ghoncheh Ghavami, a British-Iranian woman who attempted to enter a men’s volleyball match at the Azadi Stadium in Tehran in June 2014.

Ghavami, a law graduate from London, was initially sentenced to a year in jail for spreading anti-state propaganda. On April 2, the 26-year old was pardoned.

At the time, the FIVB had threatened not to award Iran the right to host volleyball events until the country had considered lifting its attendance restrictions.

"It is gratifying to see that the dialogue initiated last year has yielded some positive progress and I thank the Iranian authorities and the Iranian Volleyball Federation for their positive work," Graca added.

The plan will come into effect in the next year, according to state-run media reports, and will only lift restrictions for Iranian women and families to attend indoor sports events.

The rules will not change for all matches because some sports are primarily related to men and "families are not interested in attending" them, Ahmadi explains.

Despite the exclusion of outdoor sports events from the plan, Graca says the decision highlights the "power of sport to inspire positive social change."

He adds, "The FIVB will continue its work to ensure inclusivity and the right of women to participate in sport on an equal basis all around the world."

Written byNicole Bennett

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