Iran's sportswomen: All dressed up & raring to go

CHENNAI: Iranian film director Jafar Panahi's 2006 cult film, 'Offside', about a group of football-crazy women trying to smuggle their way into a World Cup qualifying match, may have given the outside world a peep into a society's prejudices not so long ago. Nadjmesadat Kasfimofrad has not seen 'Offside', but the matronly 40-something believes the truth back home is far from that.
Something of a sporting pioneer herself, the former Iranian squash player is here in Chennai at the Asian juniors tournament as manager of a team, which comprises three girls. Pariya Ahinejad, Siadeh Mazidi and Sogol Samodi are on their maiden visit out of Iran, courtesy their sport. And they draw a curious looks at the SDAT stadium because of their attire ��� one that covers the whole body, an aberration in a sport where 'more suitable' dressing is the norm. While Iranian women chess players are a common sight, it is the first time that their women have been allowed to participate in an international squash tournament.
"It's not that Iranian women are not allowed in stadia where men play," Kasfimofrad says. "It has more to do with the women's perception about themselves and their idea of how they would be received in a male-dominated environment such as a football stadium," she adds. "The choice rests with the women," she asserts.