The Iranian girls football team have just been told they will be able to compete at the Youth Olympics in August. This is after the governing body refused their permission to wear scarfs during play. Fifa made the ruling based on findings that the scarves are a safety hazard and a political and religious statement. The girls wear the scarves to protect the modesty based on their Islamic beliefs. But, the two sides have compromised and the girls will compete, but they have to swap their scarves for caps to cover their hair.
“This decision was taken after both the Iran Football Federation as well as the Iran National Olympic Committee confirmed in writing that they will accept a solution whereby the players will not wear their Islamic Hijab during the matches of the competition,” Fifa said in a statement on Monday. “Instead, the players can wear a cap that covers their heads to the hairline, but does not extend below the ears to cover the neck.”
The evolution of women’s sports in Iran has come leaps and bounds and this a just another step in the movement of Iranian women in sports.