JEDDAH, 29 April 2008 — Islamic Solidarity Games Secretary-General Hassan Mirza Aghabeik said there is no cause for worry over security and that Iran is ready to host the 2nd Islamic Solidarity Games next year. Set for Oct. 15 to 30 the games will be staged in the cities of Tehran, Isfahan and Mashhad.
Aghabeik made the assurance ahead of the general meeting of the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) here on May 6. At the meeting the games rules and regulations will be discussed, said Aghabeik in the interview from Tehran.
Agbaeik said the safety of the visiting delegations will be high on the priority list of the organizers. The issue of security came about in light of the political situation in Iran.
Aghabeik said 7,000 athletes and officials from 57 Islamic countries are expected to attend the multi-sport games which were inaugurated in 2005 in Saudi Arabia. Around 4,000 student-volunteers will be deployed during the games as team leaders, translators, and advisers, according to Aghabeik.
Athletes will vie in 23 sport disciplines as follows: athletics (men, women), swimming, diving, volleyball, basketball, weightlifting, table tennis (men, women), shooting (men, women), football, handball, taekwondo (men, women), karate (men, women), fencing (men, women), wrestling-Graeco Roman, wrestling-freestyle, judo, 5-a-side football, table tennis and shooting for the disabled, wheelchair volleyball, wheelchair basketball, and the ancient Persian sport of zurkhaneh.
The opening ceremony plus other events will be held at the 100,000-seater Azadi Sport Complex in Tehran. The other venues include Shirodi Sport Complex, Atab Enghelab Complex, Hejab Hall, Dastgerdi Stadium, Olympic Academic Hall, and Afrasiabi Hall in Tehran; Naghshejahan Stadium, Mellat Hall, Sajadi Stadium, Pirozi Hall and Nilforoshan Hall in Isfahan; Beheshti Hall, Mehran Hall, Astan Ghods Razavi Hall, and a 6,000-capacity Hall in Mashhad.
In adherence to the Islamic tradition and culture, Aghabeik, assured women athletes will be competing in separate stadiums where men are not allowed to enter. However, women events will be aired live on TV channels and women spectators may attend men’s competitions.
Iran he said is promoting sports among its women in the international arena and this is being done under the woman management section headed by a vice director in the organizational chart of the Iranian National Sports Federation.
“We hope to show all participating countries about women empowerment for we believe women must progress in different sport fields such as management, coaching, arbitration and so on,” he said.
In a meeting of the enforcement committee of Solidarity Federation and the doping committee of Sports Medicine Federation, it has been agreed to randomly test athletes during the games, he said.
He said the national Olympic committees are expected to confirm participation after the meeting in Jeddah.
Aghabeik said a website, www.iran2009.com, devoted to the games in four languages namely Persian, Arabic, English and French will be ready by June 2008.
