Iranian President Hassan Rohani has called on his Minister of Sports and his head of women’s affairs to find out why Iranian women were barred from entering a stadium to watch the volleyball match between Iran and Brazil.
The Mehr News Agency reports that women’s affairs chief Shahindokht Molaverdi said: “The president has called for further explanations regarding this matter; therefore, the Minister of Sports and I are charged with investigating.”
She added that the president believes that such actions displease the public and are out of step with his administration’s policies, which are aimed at “social enrichment and public satisfaction.”
On Friday June 13, a group of Iranian women arrived at the Azadi Stadium to watch the volleyball match between Iran and Brazil, only to be denied entrance by police. Reports indicate that Brazilian women were allowed to enter.
Molaverdi added that every effort is being made to ensure women will be allowed to attend the upcoming volleyball games.
The head of the Iranian Volleyball Federation has also challenged the practice of barring women from entering stadiums to watch games, noting that federation rules prohibit such actions.
