Tehran, Iran, March 15
By Mehdi Sepahvand - Trend:
Women's sports should not be limited to a few kinds of sports, rather grounds should be prepared for Iranian women to participate in more of them, says Iranian President Hassan Rouhani.
Speaking to the leading athletes from around Iran, Rouhani said women should be treated fairly when it comes to the range of sports they are allowed to take part in, IRNA news agency reported March 15.
"We should build sports grounds for girls and women the same way as we do for men. Sometimes they need to do sports for their health, more than men need it" he said. "I cannot tell how some people came up with the idea that exhilaration is against the religious culture."
Iran has devised special rules for what sports women can do or watch, citing concern for their physical or moral health, as well as making reference to the Islamic dressing code.
Iranian women were banned from watching the Iran-US volleyball matches in the World League on June 19-20 in Tehran. They are also banned from watching football matches.
However, they are allowed to do some sports in domestic and international arenas regarded that they do not violate the Islamic dressing code.