ISLAMIC COUNTRIES WOMEN SPORT SOLIDARITY GAMES (1992 AND 1997)

International sporting event for women from Islamic countries.

The Islamic Countries Women Sport Solidarity Games, reserved for women from Islamic countries, were held in 1992 and 1997 in Tehran, Iran. Athletes from eleven countries participated in 1992 and from sixteen countries in 1997. Women competed in events including badminton, basketball, volleyball, swimming, archery, and handball. Kyrgyzstan won in 1992; Iran won in 1997. The games had two aims: to provide a venue for Islamic women to participate in sports in an international arena while remaining faithful to Islamic dress codes; and to strengthen solidarity between Islamic countries and express cultural unity.

Principally sponsored and organized by the Islamic Women Sport Solidarity Council, which was headed by Faezeh Hashemi, former parliamentarian and editor of the journal Zanan (Women), the games were also internationally sponsored by the IOC, reinforcing Islamic cultural unity.

The games aroused interest both nationally and internationally due to the focus on women and the idea of an Islamic alternative to international sporting events. The 1992 event marked the first time an Iranian woman participated in an international sporting event. The games were particularly controversial in 1997 because they coincided with the football World Cup qualifier match between Iran and Australia in Tehran, which Iranian women attended in defiance of government orders. The third Islamic Countries Women Sport Solidarity Games were scheduled for December 2004.

see also hashemi, faezeh.

cherie taraghi