Stadium Rights
One woman's quest for equality for women spectators in Iran
Montreal’s Olympic Stadium. The Games of 1976 were the Olympics of gymnast Nadia Comaneci and her perfect 10, and where Bruce, now Caitlyn Janner won Gold in the decathlon. It was the Olympics that took 30 years for the city to pay off and as for that stadium, well the retractable roof never really worked and so it’s closed… permanently!
But those Olympics also marked the last time Iran participated in the Games for 12 years, because in 1979 the Shah was overthrown and the Islamic Republic of Iran was born. Banning women from sports’ stadiums was just one of the results of the Islamic revolution. Since then women have rarely been allowed to attend football matches and to this day remains banned... And here, as mothers and daughters, grandmothers and sisters stream towards the stadium entrance there is a small group of women holding a banner and politely explaining to people who stop about their banner. Holding one end of the banner is Maraym Shojaei, who spoke to Sportshour's Caroline Rigby to explain why this issue is so close to her heart.
Photo: Maryam holds up a banner outside the Montreal Olympic stadium during a game at the Women's World Cup in 2015 (CREDIT: Caroline Rigby/´óÏó´«Ã½)
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