Iran amends policy banning women from sporting events

TEHRAN, April 6 (UPI) -- Iran has begun to reverse its policy of barring women from sporting events.

Deputy Minister of Sport Abdolhamid Ahmadi told the state-run Islamic Republic News Agency on Saturday that the decision to change the policy had been made by the Iranian National Security Council in early March. The new policy went into effect March 21.

There is speculation Iran delayed the official announcement to follow the April 2 declaration that Iran and Western powers had reached a nuclear agreement.

"Stadiums must become family-oriented, and the atmosphere there must be softened," Ahmadi said over the weekend. He noted, however, that the lifted ban will not be applied to all sports. Women and families will continue to be prohibited from viewing "masculine" athletic events, such as wrestling and swimming, where male athletes are minimally clothed.

The international soccer and volleyball federations had lobbied Iran to lift the ban on women in sports stadiums and had threatened to boycott Iran's teams if it failed to do so.

Iranian activist Ghoncheh Ghavami, who was arrested in June 2015 after protesting the ban by attending an Iran-Italy volleyball match, welcomed the new policy.

"Although this proposal is likely to be enforced with some limitations in the beginning ... we want to be sure there will be a guarantee women will be allowed to attend all sporting events in the future."