The traffic jam is a prolonged reminder of the popularity of the ceremony you are about to witness. It is caused by everything from flagged cars of diplomats to pedestrians to the buses carrying athletes dressed in their formal national attire to Enqelab Stadium in Northern Tehran. The event is open to the public and free of charge.
Once seated in the stadium, the athletes fill the atmosphere with national chants. Huge flags are enthusiastically waved back and forth. Spectators and journalists can't seem to get enough of the diversity, colors and almost tangible energy. They dart around, cameras in hand, trying to capture as many moments on film as they can.
Suddenly the lights are flicked off and out of the pitch black darkness, a spotlight catches three men playing dramatic beats from the duffs hung around their shoulders as they storm the field. For a few minutes of their traditional Khorasani (North Eastern Iranian) dance and music jolt and then awe the audience into silence.
As they exit, a hundred duff players, men and women, enter the field dressed identically in long beige dresses with giant earthen-colored bead necklaces that reach their knees.
As they are filing out, men and women in pure white, layered, frilled costumes tread into the field from all four sides. The live drum beats blend into classical Persian music and an opera-style ballet begins. The only difference in the men and women's costumes is that long colored tassels are attached to the women's white caps. The main performance tells the story of Adam and Eve. They also enact Persian legends such as those of Arash, Persian literature's superhuman archer.
The dancers' twirls are as intoxicating as those of whirling dervishes. Adam and Eve mesmerise the audience with their grace and perfection - they run towards each other and express emotions vividly - but do not touch at all.
Suddenly techno music interrupts everyone and 'Satan and his followers' take over the field, sending Adam Eve and their children out of the field, screaming.They wear shiny conical hats that remind one of the KKK and perform a combination of disco dance and modern hybrid Iranian dances.
Adam and Eve's children do return once the devil's had his time on the field - this time they perform a modern dance with umbrellas. Each umbrella is printed with a flag of one of the participating countries.
After a few more traditional performances, the first Iranian woman to climb Mount Everest, Farkhondeh Sadeghi runs in with a lit torch. She circles the field once and then climbs up into the audience towards the torch. The Fourth Women's Islamic Games torch is now lit.
These opening ceremonies introduced something new to the Fourth Games that took place in Iran from September 23-29, hosted more than 1,300 female athletes from 43 nations and drew 10,000 spectators. The dancers are volunteers from local universities who trained with Iranian actress Farzoneh Kabouli for six months.
This time, like the Third Islamic Women's Games, the ceremonies included male dancers, alongside female dancers, together on the same stage.
Faezeh Hashemi is founder and president of the Islamic Federation of Women's Sports, which organises these games. She says she is uncertain about how the Iranian authorities will respond to her interpretation of what is religiously and culturally acceptable. Once the games are closed, her decision to allow men and women to dance together may be questioned.
"About the future, I cannot say," Hashemi told Women's eNews earlier this week, after the opening ceremonies. "We will have to wait and see."
For the mainstream Iranian public, the dance itself was not risqué at all. Many enjoy them regularly, but in the privacy of their homes - not a public stadium. They were scandalised by the techno music - but most joined in to swing and sway to the music after a few minutes of inhibition. The more conservative side of the public would certainly have tsk-ed at all of this.
The synchronised dance is the latest attempt from Hashemi to push the envelope at the women's games, which are held every four years in Tehran.
In 1996 the Games' Opening Ceremony included women cyclists as part of the dance parade. Around the same time, in 1995, women had been allowed to cycle in public. The law prohibiting them had been lifted when both men and women from the masses put pressure on the government by simply starting to use their bicycles.
Now women may ride wherever they wish. However, few cyclists are visible on Tehran's busy streets, partly due to the long distances in the city and its extreme weather.
Faezah Hashemi, who ran a Persian newspaper, Zan-which means "woman" in Persian-for 10 months until it was shut down in 1999 by the Iranian judiciary, is well known here as a champion of women's rights. But she scoffs at any suggestion that she enjoys any widespread popularity as a result and points out that in 2000 she lost her parliamentary reelection bid.
"No," she says emphatically. "I don't think this is true. Because if it were, they would have voted for me again."
EVENT LAUNCHED IN 1991:
The Games began in 1992, a year after its organising body was formed. The aim is to allow Muslim women to compete with each other athletically while still observing the rules of Sharia. Since in most of the eighteen disciplines at the Games athletes compete in the exposing uniforms that adhere to Olympic uniform regulations, men and cameras are not allowed to enter the fields at all.
All coaches and support staff are women. In three sports - golf, shooting and archery - where veils and conservative garments would not restrict the athletes' flexibility, male referees or spectators are allowed, as is photography.
Since the Islamic dress code is not observed in other countries - Muslim or non-Muslim - that can host such large-scale international competitions, Iranian women do not participate in international championships except archery, shooting or golf, where they would be able to conform to Islamic dress code.
Other countries are welcome to host the event, but to organise an event at this scale, with visually sealed courts and fields is not a simple feat. Until now, Iran has hosted all four events and will most likely hold the next Games in 2009.
"This event really is the Iranian women's only opportunity to compete at the international level," says Sarah Hillyer, Global Sports Partners, USA, reaffirming Iranian women's respect for the caliber of this event. "The world comes to them".
Iran's government provides $1.4 million in direct cash to the federation to stage the games, which this year cost the federation $2.8 million. Half of the funds were donated by commercial sponsors, both in kind and cash.
Farideh Hadavi, secretary general of the federation, says future funding for the games can be considered guaranteed, since there is immense support from within Iran and all but one corporate sponsor - the Korea-based electronics manufacturer, Samsung - were Iranian.
The Iranian government is supportive, financially and logistically. Before his election as president two months ago, Mahmud Ahmedinajed, organised the Muslim Women's Capital Games in Tehran in January of this year, himself, as mayor of Tehran. These games were only for Iranian female athletes.
Although physical education is a part of all Iranian schools' syllabi, teachers of other subjects often take the PE course to cover their own material. Iranian families are usually supportive of any daughters that may want to learn a sport. The country also has many sports NGOs to encourage women in sports and sports clubs with nominal fees are spread out throughout major cities. At the college level, sports are being taken more seriously and many senior Iranian athletes coach at local universities.
This year, Iran has outdone itself again. The long jump athlete broke her own record, re-setting the Iranian national record. Runner, Leila Ebrahimi, ran 1500m in 4 minutes 37 seconds, breaking her own record and again, re-setting the Iranian record.
The team matches were close. Iran won gold medals in six of the competitions it participated it. Malaysia won three gold medals and Indonesia two.
Although at each competition no more than 200 spectators attend, combined attendance at the event is 1,800 delegates, including athletes. Participation has increased since the last Games, which were almost cancelled because they were held shortly after September 11, 2001, and few athletes wanted to come to Iran with its warn-torn neighbourhood.
TIME FOR CAMARADERIE:
But the Games are as much about camaraderie and morale building as sport.
The British futsal -football with five on each side- team comes not only to compete but also for the opportunity to represent their country, where they often feel marginalized. If they chose to observe the hijab, Islamic dress code, they have little opportunity to train professionally or use existing facilities. A lack of funding also meant that more British teams could not make it to this year's events.
"America and Afghanistan, best friends!" says Rubina Muqademar as she hugs Sarah Kureshi in their hotel lobby after a day of competitions. The twinkle in her eye explaining that she's making something of a diplomatic joke.
Meanwhile, Texan-born Kureshi says that she hopes that her participation in the Games will reaffirm U.S. interest in learning about different people and cultures, including that of Iran.
"Sport is really a global language and I love how it can bring together people," says Kureshi, a medical student who prays five times a day. "I am appreciative to Iran for hosting these Games and I am so proud to represent America as a Muslim female athlete here."
While the EU and US persistently interfere in the country's plans for itself, the Iranian people are bitterly protesting in the streets to exercise their right to develop nuclear energy.
"I hope that my presence here, particularly given the tensions between our governments, shows all people that we must look beyond government politics and stereotypes to get to know each other as human beings," says Kureshi.
However high the level of sports diplomacy, international tensions have surfaced here.
Seven self-financed U.S. athletes were denied visas even though Hashemi, the president of the Tehran-based Islamic Federation of Women's Sports, placed personal calls to the Iranian embassy.
The sports federation had invited the athletes to introduce Ultimate Frisbee to the Iranian culture. Most of these former college athletes and coaches took time off from their jobs in states ranging from Florida to Missouri to fly more than half-way to Tehran to apply for visas in Turkey. (They flew to Turkey to apply for visas since Global Sports Partners' past attempts to apply for visas in the US have always met with rejections) Ultimate Frisbee was chosen for its low cost, easy-going rules and obvious physical and emotional benefits. It has elements of basketball and football and involves teams competing against each other to score by throwing a Frisbee down a park or field to score in an end zone.
COACHING BEGAN WITH MOTHERS:
Until recently, before semi-professional sports for women developed regionally, the coaches of Muslim women athletes were often their mothers. Although some of these women could certainly compete at professional Olympic levels, they are rarely paid as professional players should be.
One Iranian team sport player, (name kept anonymous for safety) for example, is paid 35million Iranian Rials per year. This, just short of $4,000 however, is not enough and she says that her mother, father and boyfriend help her out. National male athletes however are always paid, she says.
Boyfriend? In Iran? The player, 26, says she has been going out with her boyfriend for 3 years but sees no need to get married - her parents are also fine with her having a close boyfriend. She says that her boyfriend and her click very well intellectually. Mostly they just talk with each other and do not have a physical relationship at all. She does say that the 'cultural guidance police' ask her a lot of questions when they see her and her boyfriend speaking.
Iranian runner, Padideh Boloorizadeh's case is more common here. She coaches college track and field athletes so that she can be financially independent. At annual national competitions awards in the range of $10,000 are given to medalists.
Even today, mother coaches are still on the sidelines, cheering on their daughters.
Iranian swimmer, Shokoofeh Sadeghipand, for instance, is coached by her mother, a horse rider. Sadeghipand, 16 and a chemistry student, won second place in the 200m-backstroke competition, coming in behind Farnaz Nikou, an Iranian player from another team.
Horse riding however is not included in the Women's Games. Although the sport is popular among Eastern cultures - for both men and women - it is an expensive sport, like golf. Most women however remain recreational riders even if they possess a high level of professionalism; Sadeghipand's mother is among them.
Hijab - The Reason These Games were Born.
International women's sportswear and dress code requirements constitute discrimination against Muslim athletes, said Andre Gorgemans, the Swiss-based secretary general of the World Federation of the Sporting Goods Industry.
For almost a decade he has been working to develop Islam-friendly athletic dress codes and uniforms for women.
Speedo, the international swimwear manufacturer, for example, worked closely with Dutch Muslim women and clerics a few years ago to develop Capsters, a range of head-accessories that serve a dual purpose. While they protect against wind or cold, Gorgemans said during a presentation, the idea was to give Muslim women in the Netherlands an alternative for the traditional hijab, or head covering, worn during gym-class.
Capsters use athletic materials and provide a more snug fit. These however were not seen at the Games, although the organisers had considered ordering them. A volunteer with the organising committee, Vajiheh Zadeh, explained that the cost of these scarves was prohibitive. Most of the athletes wore traditional scarves and a few wore baseball caps. These usually cost well within $10, while Capsters cost about $60. Their popularity has yet to gain momentum in most countries.
Khadeeja Balkhi is a business journalist currently based in Karachi, Pakistan.Recently she also wrote from Jeddah, Saudi Arabia and hopes her writing will help bridge gaps between women the world over.
FOR MORE INFORMATION: www.ifws.org
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