Sanctions wreaking havoc with Iranian sports
TEHRAN, Iran (AA) – Like any other sector, sports in Iran have directly or indirectly faced the heat of US sanctions, undermining the functioning of local sports federations, affecting the performances of players, and in some cases destroying the careers of young and promising athletes.
Hatam Shiralizadeh, a prominent Iranian sports journalist and commentator, said the bogey of sanctions started soon after the 1979 revolution has for the past 43 years “severely affected” international sports in Iran, “particularly in the last decade.”
Shiralizadeh added that the US, Canada, and some European countries have often “created hurdles” by not issuing visas to Iranian athletes and officials, and national sports bodies have faced problems in paying salaries to foreign players and coaches.
Iran has reeled under US sanctions since the breakdown of diplomatic relations between the two countries in the aftermath of the US Embassy takeover in Tehran in November 1979, nine months after the revolution.
While the impact of US sanctions on Iran’s economy, in general, has been widely documented, the overarching impact on sports, in particular, is often overlooked.
Masoud Hossein, a senior sports journalist with Tehran Times, said sanctions is a “political term” that implies one must be “aware of the impact of political decisions on sports.”
He noted that Iranian teams and athletes have been “severely harmed” due to sanctions over the past several years, which has had “a huge impact” on the country’s economy, in particular the sports sector.
In recent months, many Iranian athletes have been denied visas to participate in international competitions, mainly in the US and the UK.
Mark Lomas, BBC Sports editor and longtime observer of Iranian sports, noted that “despite the best efforts of governing bodies like FIFA and the IOC,” sports and politics are “closely intertwined.”
“Sadly those caught in the middle are often athletes whose chief desire is to compete and who often are – like so many citizens of the world – actually pretty apathetic towards their political leaders.”
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