Politics in sports
15.09.2023
IOC urged to ban Iran from Paris 2024 for discrimination against women in sport
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Calls are being made to ban Iran from next year’s Olympics in Paris after claims that the country is violating the Olympic Charter over its discrimination against women in sport.
Former world super bantamweight boxing champion Mahyar Monshipour and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi are part of a group that are calling for Iran’s exclusion from Paris 2024.
A letter was reportedly issued by the group to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in July urging them to take action.
According to Francs Jeux, the letter proposed that the IOC should either banish Iran from the Games or prevent them from competing in boxing, beach volleyball, gymnastics, swimming and wrestling where Iranian women are banned under the Islamic regime.
French lawyer Frédéric Thiriez has claimed that Iran has violated Olympic Charter’s stipulations that "the practice of sport is a human right" and that there must be "no discrimination of any kind, in particular on the grounds of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other option, national or social origin, property, birth or other status".
The former President of the French Professional Football League said the group was "working on a legal approach by taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport" while a petition has also been launched.
"The law has its limits, that is why we’re counting on pressure from public opinion," said Thiriez in a report by Francs Jeux.
"Public opinion has to move.
"People need to wake up.
"This situation is intolerable."
Former world super bantamweight boxing champion Mahyar Monshipour and Nobel Peace Prize winner Shirin Ebadi are part of a group that are calling for Iran’s exclusion from Paris 2024.
A letter was reportedly issued by the group to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in July urging them to take action.
According to Francs Jeux, the letter proposed that the IOC should either banish Iran from the Games or prevent them from competing in boxing, beach volleyball, gymnastics, swimming and wrestling where Iranian women are banned under the Islamic regime.
French lawyer Frédéric Thiriez has claimed that Iran has violated Olympic Charter’s stipulations that "the practice of sport is a human right" and that there must be "no discrimination of any kind, in particular on the grounds of race, colour, sex, sexual orientation, language, religion, political or other option, national or social origin, property, birth or other status".
The former President of the French Professional Football League said the group was "working on a legal approach by taking the matter to the Court of Arbitration for Sport" while a petition has also been launched.
"The law has its limits, that is why we’re counting on pressure from public opinion," said Thiriez in a report by Francs Jeux.
"Public opinion has to move.
"People need to wake up.
"This situation is intolerable."
Former world super bantamweight boxing champion Mahyar Monshipour claimed female boxers were having to train in "flats or basements" ©Getty Images
It is claimed by the group that the situation facing women in Iran is like "sexual apartheid" as they drew parallels with South Africa which was barred from the Olympics from 1964 to 1988 because of its policy of racial segregation.
Monshipour, who was born in Iran before moving to France and holding the world super bantamweight title from 2003 to 2006, said female boxers had to train behind closed doors due to restrictions.
"Many do so in secret, in flats or basements," said Monshipour.
"They are not allowed to go to a club."
IOC President Thomas Bach has previously expressed "grave concerns" over the welfare of athletes and discrimination in sports in the Middle East nation.
Bach summoned the National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran (NOCIRI) for a meeting at the IOC headquarters in Lausanne in February where he urged them to ensure a "full observance".
Safety concerns have been raised over female athletes who have chosen not to wear hijabs in international competitions.
Wearing a hijab in public is compulsory for women in Iran under the country's strict Islamic laws introduced after the 1979 revolution.
IOC President Thomas Bach has previously expressed "grave concerns" over the welfare of athletes and discrimination in sports in Iran ©IOC
This has received increased international attention since the death in police custody of 22-year-old Masha Amini last year after she was arrested for not wearing a hijab.
Protests persist in Iran with women across the country refusing to wear the headscarves.
The country has responded by doubling down on its law, with Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi claiming that women must wear a headscarf as a "religious necessity".
Women defying the law face heavy fines with cameras set up to find offenders and warning text messages sent to those identified.
In October last year, Iranian climber Elnaz Rekabi was seen in action at the Asian Championships in South Korea without a headscarf.
She made a public apology, claiming that her headscarf fell off by mistake, but concerns were raised that her interview on state television was forced.
Athletics Federation of the Islamic Republic of Iran President Hashem Siami quit in May after photos showed women running in a marathon in Shiraz without hijabs.
Iran has previously been accused of breaching the Olympic Charter through Government orders that the country's athletes should not face Israelis at sports events, but the NOCIRI has avoided suspension.
Photo: Getty Images
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