Deputy for Women’s Sports Development at the Ministry of Sports and Youth announced the hosting of Iran for the first edition of the International Norouz Games, stating that the competitions in 9 fields would be held with the participation of 22 countries from February 19 to 23.
According to ISNA, Maryam Kazemipour, the Deputy for Women’s Sports Development at the Ministry of Sports and Youth, shared details about the first edition of the Norouz Games in a press conference today. She stated, “In the month of Dey 1400, it was decided that the Deputy for Women’s Sports would plan and execute an international sports event. Given the limited time until Norouz, we couldn’t guarantee the implementation of the program during Norouz. Consequently, the Norouz Games headquarters started its activities five months ago.”
She added, “Norouz holds a significant part of nature’s freshness and vitality. We wanted to celebrate what brings elevation to women and joy in this way. That’s why we invited countries from the Norouz region to participate in these competitions. We invited countries that have recognized Norouz as a cultural event on their calendars, along with countries that have been influential in women’s events. Ultimately, 22 countries expressed their readiness.”
She continued, “We hope to be good hosts for this edition of the competitions.”
Referring to the registration of this event in UNESCO’s global calendar, Kazemipour noted, “The Norouz Games have been globally registered by UNESCO, and the Ministry of Cultural Heritage, Tourism, and Handicrafts is responsible for this event’s coordination. Centers in Iran are responsible for the cultural promotion of Norouz. We also tried to use the capacities of the Ministry of Tourism to introduce it to the world.”
She went on, “These competitions will be held in 9 disciplines: kabaddi, judo, equestrian, wrestling, weightlifting, karate, futsal, fencing, and polo, with the participation of 378 foreign athletes and 192 Iranian athletes. In all fields, we will use Iranian international refereeing teams, and of course, we have invited international referees for collaboration, which has been accepted.”
Kazemipour also addressed the history of Iran hosting previous competitions in the women’s category, saying, “We have hosted four editions of women’s competitions for Islamic countries, but the distinctive feature of the Norouz International event is that, in addition to being specific to Muslim women, the opportunity for non-Muslim countries to participate has also been provided.”
She emphasized, “The necessity of holding these competitions was due to the proximity of the Asian Games and Olympic quota competitions. This led to the Norouz event being considered as a high-level preparatory meeting.”
Regarding the inclusion of futsal in the competitions, she added, “Futsal and football are significant because they can play a role in promoting the level of women. That’s why they were among the first disciplines invited to have two strong teams, Russia and Thailand, compete in a four-nation competition with two Iranian teams.”
She also talked about the change in hosting the competitions from Kish to Tehran, stating, “One of the candidate areas for hosting was Kish, but the feasibility of hosting competitions with the seasonal conditions was not suitable. The headquarters decided that, considering the conditions in Tehran and the transportation issues, the competitions should be hosted by Tehran. All activities have been managed and are currently being implemented.”
She concluded, “The first meeting of the games’ headquarters was held by inviting 17 sports disciplines, prioritizing sports teams that are candidates for participation in the Asian Games next year. However, for various reasons, some teams were not ready to participate, or some guest teams couldn’t attend. Despite the sanctions, judo, which is usually popular, received favorable attention and became one of the sports with the highest participation.”
Kazemipour also highlighted the allocated budget for these competitions, stating, “Expenses are estimated based on international standards, and the financial committee must report the main figure. Depending on the type of prizes, expenses, and the level of refereeing, which must be in line with international standards, the costs vary. However, this program has been in our plans since 1400, and predictions have been made for its future implementation. This event will have a fully feminine execution.”
Regarding the timing of the competitions, she added, “The opening ceremony will be held from 4 to 6 pm on Friday at Azadi Basketball Hall, with the presence of countries such as Russia, Thailand, Belarus, Palestine, Cameroon, Georgia, Nepal, Egypt, Indonesia, Malaysia, Tunisia, Poland, England, Norway, Armenia, Kazakhstan, Iraq, Afghanistan, Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Kyrgyzstan.”
Finally, she emphasized the absence of chess and skiing disciplines in these competitions, stating, “One of the technical reasons considered for us was the presence of countries with a defensible technical level. However, in chess and skiing, the technical level was low, and the headquarters concluded that the technical requirements for these sports would not be met.”