Women race in rare track meet in Hamas-ruled Gaza

About 40 women in tracksuits and headscarves have competed in a rare track meet in Hamas-ruled Gaza. The athletes ran 100, 400 and 1,500 meters in Saturday's championship. Some raced barefoot and others waved to cheering spectators during their races. Runner Ghada al-Zamt came third in the 1,500 meters. She says women's athletics are not encouraged in Gaza. Participants in Saturday's meet included university students and amateur athletes. Gaza's Muslim rulers — and most residents — disapprove of women's sports because it can reveal their body shape. It is also difficult for athletes to compete internationally because Gaza's borders have been virtually sealed by Israel and Egypt since the Hamas takeover in 2007.

Palestinian girls take part in a race during a track meet for Gazan women at the Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, Saturday, May 8, 2010. The sporting event was co-sponsored by the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the UN in order to encourage Gazan women to do more sports. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Palestinian girls cheer for women athletes, not seen, during a track meet at Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, Saturday, May 8, 2010. The sporting event was co-sponsored by the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the UN in order to encourage Gazan women to do more sports. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

A Palestinian girl takes part in the long jump during a track meet at Palestine Stadium in Gaza City, Saturday, May 8, 2010. The sporting event was co-sponsored by the Palestinian Olympic Committee and the UN in order to encourage Gazan women to do more sports. (AP Photo/Hatem Moussa)

Source: The Associated Press

Muslim Women are Taking Part in Aqua-aerobic and Swimming Events

All these year’s Muslim females have faced the problem of finding an appropriate swimwear which adheres to the Koran, which requires a woman to cover everything except her face, hands and feet.

The swimwears available in the market were either not targeted for the Muslim women as they led to show of skin or were unpractical for swimming. To aptly describe how uncomfortable the swimwear designed for Muslimahs was I shall quote Aheda Zanetti who wrote to the National Geographic News stating “As an active Muslim girl, I found it difficult to participate in most sports, because of all the excess clothes we were wearing. And the veil very unpractical when playing sports”.

For a market that was not targeted by big market share holders like Nike scattering small companies took the initiative of designing something fruitful for Muslimahs. People like Zanetti, Oliver Momeni and Hasema saw a great potential and design need in the market of swimwear for Muslimahs. Zanetti, is the owner of Ahiida, an Australian company that designs women’s sportswear. Oliver Momeni started his venture of Bodykini in 2007, based in Spain and Hasema a Turkish company started designing a line of swimwear for men, women and kids. Among all these products the most admired and reviewed is “Bodykini”.

Surely, Oliver had the support and opinions of his Iranian family members and an experience of over 20 years in the family textile business. Before designing the final product “Bodykini”, Oliver conducted a lot of market research and held talks with many Muslim women. In the course of his time, he learned the important attributes targeted while designing the swimsuit. He designed Bodykini which is a complete blend of a swimsuit that looks great, designed for modest comfort, adheres to Islam’s tradition and most importantly lets women swim without any fear.

It does so by removing all the excess fabric that the previous swimwear provided like the veil, pants and skirts. Oliver incorporated every thing into 2 main piece of clothing: a shirt with a hijood that serves as a close-fitting headpiece, which firmly lays on the head without slipping and a pant. The fabric used is a high quality water-repellent fabric that is not only highly Chlorine resistant but also provides protection from ultraviolet rays. The advantage of using a Polyester material is that it has low water absorbency, dries fast and ensures complete stretch in all directions leading to comfortable swimming or aqua-sport.

The Bodykini comes in two colors to choose from and two unique features. The first feature is the two elastic bands that are attached at the inside of the pants that get buttoned to the inside of the suit, which prevent the suit from floating in case the swimmer performs a feet first dive. The second feature is the small pocket with a zipper in the pants; ideal for keeping small items like keys or money.

So now, with products like Bodykini both the problems namely: meeting the Islamic traditional requirements and availability of a comfortable swimming garment for women, are solved. Bodykini is available online at bodykini. com. Along with this Bodykini has been launched in the Middle East and is available in Dubai at Al Boom Marine retail stores or at the Dubai Ladies Club.

Now, Islamic women can remain more active and enjoy the aqua sports with the power of Bodykini. The Bodykini modest swimwear is becoming popular among not just the Muslim population but also among all those women who love to cover their bodies and prevent the tans while enjoying the relaxing water.

Having said all this, Oliver Momeni is not just being thanked by all Muslim women for introducing such a wonderful product in the market but the big players are looking forward to promote products like Bodykini which is showing a very good grip on the swimwear market. Taylor, of Azizah Magazine, says that

“In another 15 years there’s going to be a sizable Muslim consumer market and lots of demand”.

I think we’re where the Hispanic market was 20 years ago, and today the Hispanic market is a big consumer market. ” Further more, Arun Jain, a marketing professor at the University of Buffalo in New York State, agrees and states that given the growth potential of the Muslim community in the United States, major sportswear manufacturers could be missing out on an opportunity to break into an emerging market. Moreover, more than just the Muslim women the modern world women comprising of Christian, Jews and others don’t feel the need to show off their bodies and strive to be modest.

Source: http://www.aerobics-cardio.wealthyboys.com/muslim-women-are-taking-part-in-aqua-aerobic-and-swimming-events/

Turkey’s female cirit players on hunt for competition

Members of Turkey’s only all-female cirit team must compete against men due to the lack of other female athletes who play the equestrian sport.

The women of the Uşak Women’s Equestrian Sports Club’s cirit team recently finished a scrimmage match with a male cirit team as part of the Spring Festival in Uşak’s Ulubey district, held to benefit orphans and persons with disabilities. The match ended with a win for the men’s team. In a statement to the press following the match, Uşak Women’s Equestrian Sports Club Team Captain Aysun Yılmaz (29) said the lack of female competition is a major problem for her team.

Cirit is a sport played by teams on horseback, who attempt to hit each other with blunt-tipped wooden javelins. It came to Turkey from Central Asia and was popular among the Ottoman Empire’s cavalry.

Explaining that over the course of the past seven years, through competitions in various provinces, her team had proved their mettle in scrimmage matches, Yılmaz said: “We are the children of mothers and fathers who were cirit players. In each of our families, there is at least one other person who played or plays cirit. In the area we grew up in, horses were like part of our families. Eventually we asked, well why can’t women play cirit? And we came together seven years ago to do this.”

The first team of women cirit players was highly successful, Yılmaz explained, but soon ran into trouble. “The women that married stopped showing up for matches because their husbands didn’t give them permission to play. The team was constantly being reassembled. Right now, the club has seven athletes. The youngest female cirit player is 16 years old. We’re trying with the means at our disposal to bring this equestrian sport to prominence. We don’t all have horses; we ride the men’s team’s horses and train with them. From time to time, we participate in scrimmages like these. Our aim is to introduce cirit and make it loved,” she said.

Another of the team’s members, Seda Yıldırım (20), explained the difficulty they faced because of the lack of other women’s cirit teams in Turkey. The university student, who has been riding horses for 10 years, said: “It’s hard to play matches with men -- their arms are much stronger and they’re able to throw harder. We’re as good as they are on horseback, but the spears we throw don’t go as far; this makes it hard for us.”

Yıldırım expressed hope that rumors of women’s cirit teams assembling in other parts of Turkey will prove true. “I hope the number of women cirit players increases; then we’ll play with them. And I think that one day we will also beat the men,” she said.

Source: http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-210470-turkeys-female-cirit-players-on-hunt-for-competition.html

Woman and girls, let’s move: International Conference

27- 28 November , 2010

Tehran, Iran

The Sport Organization of the Municipality of Tehran invites all members of the sport community to participate in an international conference which is conducted as a joint venture of the International Association of Physical Education and Sport of Girls and Women (IAPESGW) and the city of Tehran. The conference aims at an exchange of knowledge and an increase of co-operation in the area of sport sciences and physical education.

About the conference: There is abundant evidence, that sport and physical exercises have a positive impact on health, well being and social relations. However, it is very difficult to motivate people to participate in recreational activities, in particular in large cities, where the environment and/or the lack of facilities do not encourage sports and fitness activities. Whereas boys and young men can find opportunities to play football or other sports, the majority of women and girls do not participate in physical exercises and sports.

The aim of the conference is to share experiences, information and scientific knowledge about the “movement culture” of girls and women: Their opinions and attitudes towards sport (for all), their motivations and barriers, their experiences and practices will be explored. Important topics of the conference are also the reasons for sport participation and inactivity as well as the strategies and measures to encourage an active life style among the population in large cities. Here physical education plays a large role. Therefore the quality of PE, in particular for girls, will be a focus on this event.

One day before the conference, an IAPESGW workshop with the same topic will take place where IAPESGW members and Iranian experts exchange knowledge and expertise.

The result of this workshop will be presented at the conference.

Key notes: IAPESGW is supporting developments in Iran and the event that is inviting the following guest contributors (see website under New Executive Board for details www.iapesgw.org

Professor Gertrud Pfister - Committee of consultants (Denmark)
Janice Crosswhite - Vice president (Australia)
Professor Rosa Lopez de D'Amico - Vice president (Venezuela)
Professor Maryam Koushkie Jahromi - Executive Board (Iran)

Reports about the results of the Workshop “Woman and girls , let’s move”, organised by IAPESGW and the Municipality of Tehran

Topics – as suggestions:

· Sport Activities – opportunities and challenges for women and men

· Sport (for all) in large cities – facilities and programs

· Cities and their spaces for physical activities

· How to activate the population and how to organise sport for all in cities

· International Cooperation in the Field of Physical Education and Sport Sciences

· Quality in School Sport

· PE and Sport Sciences: A Potential for Co-operation

· Sport Activities and Cultural Diversity

· New Trends in Sport Sciences

· Open papers

Please feel free to send in abstracts on other topics, we offer an open paper section.

Deadline dates

Scholars and experts are invited to participate in the conference and in the discussion.

Those who would like to give a paper have to send an abstract

Deadline for submission of abstract: 30^th October 2010

Notification of acceptance: November 5^th

Deadline for registration and hotel booking: November 12^th

Deadline for submitting the visa: November 18^th

Arrival and registration: November 26^th

Workshop Conference days – 27^th , 28^th November

Departure 29^th - 30^th November

Abstracts may not exceed 3000 characters (including spaces, title, authors and institutions).

Submit by email to Iman Mohktari - cityandsport@yahoo.com

Registration

There will be no conference fee, but registration is necessary. Deadline for registration is November

Practical Information

Conference Fee

There is no registration fee .

The participants have to pay for their accommodation and dinner.

Lunches, tea and coffee breaks during the conference are free .

Conference hotel

Olympic Hotel, Tehran, Iran

You can book your room via the website of the hotel (alternative booking site)

Flights

There are direct flights to Tehran (IKA) from any airport around the world.

Imam Khomeini International Airport (IKA ) is located 50 kilometers (30 – 45 mi) south of the city.

Weather

October is autumn in Tehran and the weather is moderate, Temperatures range between 7 and 27 °C.

More information on http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tehran and http://en.tehran.ir/

Languages

The languages used in papers, discussions and presentations are English and Farsi.

Tehran International Phone Code : +98 21

Currency: Iranian Rial IRR 10005= US$ 1

There is limited international credit card service, please bring money ( US $ or Euro ) in cash .

Visa Requirements

The Conference organizers invite established scholars, researchers, practitioners and students from all countries. Delegates from some countries might require visas to enter Iran. The conference organizers will assist you with obtaining visas and can provide letters to Iranian diplomatic missions.

Others may get visas at the airport, but they have to send copies of their passports till November 18^th

Dress code

Please respect the Islamic dress code in Iran.

Participating and Supporting Organizations:

• Sport Organization , Municipality Of Tehran , Iran

• International Association of Physical Education and Sport for Girls and Women (IAPESGW)

v Organizing Committee

v Dr. I. Mokhtari

v Dr. V. Mousavi

v Mrs. M. Karimi

v Scientific Committee

v (alphabetically arranged)

v Dr. Iman Mokhtari Iran

v Prof. Gertrud Pfister Denmark

v Janice Crosswhite Australia

v Dr. Maryam Koushki Iran

v Prof. Rosa Lopez de D’Amico Venezuela

v Dr. V. Mousavi Iran

Mohammed Hajaghamir : Manager , Sport Organization (Iran)

Mitra Karima Dastjerdi :Deputy , Sport Organization (Iran)

For additional information

Please contact: Iman Mohktari

email : cityandsport@yahoo.com

Event information September 2010

Welcome to Big Sister

Big Sister (www.bigsister.org.uk) has been launched by a British Muslim woman, Shaista Gohir MBE, to challenge stereotypes and raise the aspirations of Muslim girls and women around the world. The website challenges the treatment of women through satirical cartoons and highlights stories of Muslim women in diverse fields including business, politics, sports, human rights, arts & culture, from past to present.

E: contact@bigsister.org.uk

T: +44 121 236 9000

M: +44 7802 225989

You can check out the following link for their section about Muslim sportswomen.

http://www.bigsister.org.uk/sportybigsister.php

Nawal El Moutawakel on Education of Women and Girls

LAURA WALDEN / Sports Features Communications

TAMPA/NEW YORK, Sept 22: IOC Executive Board member Nawal El Moutawakel was speaking out at the UN Millennium Development Goals Summit being held in New York to support of education for women.

The Olympian is also a United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Goodwill Ambassador and has dealt with many of her own trying experiences growing up in the ‘60’s and ‘70’s in Morocco. El Moutawakel is also the first Muslim woman to win an Olympic gold medal on the 400 meter hurdles and has even served her country as Minister of Sports.

Speaking to the UN News center today she said: “I personally lived these difficulties… access to education, women’s empowerment, environmental protection, improvement in health. I had experiences in all these fields linked to my personal life, to that of my country.”

“An educated woman is an educated family and an educated country since women represent more than half the population in most countries today. When women have no access to education all other (MDG) efforts are doomed to fail.

“Access to primary education is vital since it has a run-on impact on all other MDGs, it even determines the success and survival of some, like women’s empowerment.”

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon held a roundtable discussion with other IOC Members Prince Albert of Monaco and Hungarian President Pal Schmitt to discuss the important value of sport working closely with the UN to strive to attain the MDG goals for 2015.

Source: http://www.sportsfeatures.com/olympicsnews/story/47463/iocun-education-for-women-and-girls-crucial-for-mdg-efforts

A Culture of Trust: Engaging Muslim Women in Community Sport Organizations

Authors: Hazel Maxwell^a; Tracy Taylor^a

^{Published in: European Sport Management Quarterly, Volume 10, Issue 4 September 2010 , pages 465 - 483}

Abstract This article examines the impetus for, and process of, engaging Muslim women in community sport. The research focuses on how and why a community sport organization, located in a large Australian city, embraced cultural change and developed a more inclusive community sport environment through social capital facilitation. The operation of the three types of social capital (bonding, bridging and linking) is considered alongside social capital attributes (networks, trust, reciprocity, volunteering and community building). The theoretical framework employed is derived from Lin's framework of social capital. The research findings are analysed through an examination of the stages of investment, development, mobilization and reproduction of social capital. This research illustrates the potential for the development of trust, cooperation and community networks, leading to cultural awareness, and changes to the cultural profile and practices of community sport organizations. Source: http://www.informaworld.com/smpp/content~db=all~content=a926590745~tab=content~order=page

Yanit voted European Female Athlete of the Month for July - European Athletics (EAA)

European Athletics is pleased to announce that Turkish hurdler Nevin Yanit have been voted as the European Female Athlete of the Month for July.

The 24-year-old Yanit went into the history books as Turkey’s first sprint hurdles champion after clocking a national record 12.63 in Barcelona.

It was a great turnaround in fortunes for an athlete who had failed to even finish in her heat in Göteborg four years ago.

The European Athlete of the Month initiative was launched in January 2007 and is designed to recognise outstanding performers at all levels of the sport in Europe. European Athletics names a male and female winner each month and features the athlete on the European Athletics website. Selections are based on votes by the public, media and a panel of European Athletics experts – each counting for 33.3% of the final vote. No athlete who has previously served a two-year doping ban can be nominated for or win the European Athlete of the Month award.

2010 previous winners:

Month	Male	Country	Female	Country
June	Teddy Tamgho	FRA	Anita Wlodarczyk	POL
May	Andreas Thorkildsen	NOR	Jessica Ennis	GBR
April	Gerd Kanter	EST	Liliya Shobukhova	RUS
March	Teddy Tamgho	FRA	Jessica Ennis	GBR
February	David Gillick	IRL	Elvan Abeylegesse	TUR
January	Ivan Ukhov	RUS	Jessica Ennis	GBR

BARCELONA, SPAIN - JULY 30: Nevin Yanit of Turkey competes in the Womens 100m Hurdles Heats during day four of the 20th European Athletics Championships at the Olympic Stadium on July 30, 2010 in Barcelona, Spain.

Source: European Athletics (EAA) - News

Egyptian woman will make history at Youth Olympics

By MICHAEL CASEY (AP) –

SINGAPORE — When Jihan El Midany leads the Egyptian delegation into Saturday's opening ceremony of the inaugural Youth Olympics, it will be a historic moment for her country.

The 18-year-old pentathlete will become the first woman from Egypt to serve as a flag bearer at an Olympic event. And if she wins a medal as expected in the competition that includes swimming, shooting, fencing and running, she would be the first woman from her country to do so at an Olympic event.

El Midany said she hopes her prominent role will inspire girls across the Muslim world to take up sports.

"I'm hoping I can be a good role model," El Midany said Friday as she walked through the athletes' village. "I want to prove that the veil does not have to prevent girls from doing anything."

The Youth Olympics, which runs through Aug. 26, features about 3,600 competitors aged 14 to 18 from 204 countries competing in the same 26 sports on the current Summer Olympics program.

El Midany's success comes at a time when girls across the Muslim world are making historic progress in sports, starting soccer leagues and competing in boxing and wrestling. That would have been unheard of just a few years ago.

For the first time, Qatar is sending girls to an Olympic competition. And Iranians agreed to send a girls soccer team after reaching a compromise that allows them to wear hats rather than the banned head scarves.

Yet many girls still face insurmountable hurdles, from conservative societies that frown on sports to families that would rather keep their daughters at home. El Midan almost abandoned the pentathlon this year after the sports governing body required athletes to wear swimsuits that exposed the neck, shoulder and legs. It's less modest than the suit she wore that covered the entire body.

El Midany said she was "disappointed" by the ruling, but got the blessing of her family and sporting authorities to compete in Singapore. She admits feeling "uncomfortable" in the new suit, but knows the swimming event doesn't last long.

Sharif A. El-Erain, the vice president of the Egyptian Federation of Modern Pentathlon, acknowledges it is much harder to recruit girls than boys. He's hoping El Midany's success will bring the federation more attention, more money and more female athletes.

"For me, that is a dream," he said of an Egyptian woman winning a medal. "We came so close in the last Olympics, so if we can make it here, it would be great. It will get us more recognition."

At the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Aya Medany finished eighth in the pentathlon.

While El Midany was talking of making history, most athletes had their sights on more modest goals — winning medals, reaching personal bests and making friends. Many athletes spent Friday training and mingling with teammates at the sprawling village housed at a local university.

Some critics have derided the new event as little more than a summer camp with little support from local Singaporeans. But there was no indication that the athletes were taking the event lightly.

"This is the closest thing to the Olympics. It's the junior Olympics," said American Amber Bryant-Brock, a 16-year-old 400-meter hurdler. "This is big. I'm anxious and I'm ready to compete. It's scary because it's anybody's race."

Simone Meyer, a 17-year-old South African discus thrower, called the competition a "road to 2012," referring to the London Olympics. She's the top discus thrower in her country's age group.

"It will be a great experience," she said. "It's an opportunity of a lifetime. You will learn so much."

For Armando Moss of the Bahamas, competing in the first Youth Olympics will be satisfaction enough. The 18-year-old swimmer said he hopes to finish in the top eight in two events.

"This is the biggest meet of my life," Moss said. "I'm taking it seriously. It's an honor to be in the first Youth Olympics. My name will go down in history for being part of it."

Source: The Associated Press

Sania Mirza: Whither Goest Thou?

ByLinus Fernandes

It was a heady day in 2003, when Sania Mirza burst onto the stream of Indian sport consciousness, an awareness that if India were to ever have a world beater in an individual sport, it would not be a hirsute male, but a member of the weaker, fairer sex.

Sania Mirza erupted onto the scene like a long dormant volcano, heralding the birth of a new breed of Indian athletes, who not only excelled at their sport but were media savvy and clever enough to carve an image, a niche for themselves, in games other than cricket.

She was smart, she was intelligent, she was articulate, she was pretty, she was sexy, she was photogenic and she had attitude with a capital A. She carried off the anachronism of a nose ring with aplomb and style.

To top it all , she owned a killer forehand—the one that drew comparisons with her idol Steffi Graf —that was almost impossible to return when she dispatched the tennis ball with all the power and strength at her disposal. The forehand was flat and it was skiddy.

Sania Mirza had arrived on the stage of world tennis and Indian tennis would never be the same again. Or so we hoped.

Bouquets and Brickbats

We stood by her, we rooted for her, and we put up with all her shenanigans. We gathered around our television sets to cheer her every shot, her every return, her every serve.

She was the face of a modern India, a cosmopolitan India and most of all, she was a Muslim, a brave heart standing for progress contrasted against the conservatism and insularity of a minority community. She presented a brave new India; she had balls and she had gumption.

We craved learning what her T-shirts read; her sassy T-shirts hit the headlines as often as her brushes with the religious fanatics who chastised her for donning un-Islamic attire—mini-skirt and sleeveless vest—and being chummy with doubles partner Peer from the I of Israel. The evil I!

Some of her more interesting T-shirts needled "Well-behaved women rarely make history ," "I'm cute? No shit.," "Don't stand in my way," and "You can either agree with me, or be wrong."

This young tennis star, swimming in potential, was lapped up not just by the Indian media but by the international press as well. She appeared on the cover of Time magazine and was listed by the New Statesman as one among 10 youngsters who could change the world.

She happens to be the most searched Indian sportsperson on Google India ahead of Sachin Tendulkar, her appeal truly transcending notional, national boundaries.

She was hurt most when she was misquoted as endorsing pre-marital sex; a source of consternation for her in-the-know admirers as she came from a conservative Muslim background. Her choice of partners bears this out as she was first engaged to her cousin Sohrab Mirza but wed Shoaib Malik , a Pakistani cricketer . She has, of course, been linked to other sports stars and celebrities, the most notable being the dashing Yuvraj Singh, but then who believes the tabloids?

Tennis Career

Her singles career stats read 224-122 and she has one WTA title, the 2005 Hyderabad Open, and thirteen ITF titles in her singles kitty. She also enjoys playing doubles and has won eight WTA and four ITF tourneys. Her other sporting honors include a gold in mixed doubles, a silver in singles and a silver in team tennis all at the 2006 Doha Asian Games .

Her best singles performance in a Grand Slam has been a fourth round finish at the 2005 US Open.

The year 2007 was her finest one. She reached a career-high ranking of 27th. But over the years, her opponents have grown smarter; they wait and prey on her many errors. Her one-dimensional game was soon exposed; the mishits kept piling up as the rallies and matches grew longer.

Further, she was plagued by injuries, mostly to her wrist. Injuries that have dogged her more than any controversies.

She is not the fittest of players and she does seem to be carrying excess fat compared to the extremely fit and stronger players on the circuit. She is also just 5 ft. 8 inches, tall perhaps by Indian standards, but average compared to other players on the WTA tour. She, however, plays fearlessly and is not afraid to launch into her groundstrokes at the slightest opportunity.

Her finest hour, arguably, was the doubles championship she lifted at the Australian Open in 2009 in tandem with Mahesh Bhupathi. She is India’s foremost woman player ever and she cannot be blamed for not having an Indian tennis role model to emulate. She has blazed a path for Indian Eves and it is for them to take up the torch and surpass her, if they can.

A Second Coming?

Sania Mirza is not to be counted out yet. In her own words, she intends to give tennis a go for a couple of years following her recent marriage.

She has, just last week, had her best performance in recent times, reaching the final of the Aegon classic . That is not an achievement to be sneezed at, although the ITF and WTA tournaments are not on the same plane and Mirza was the top seed in the tournament. (Maria Sharapova too, on her recent return from injury, preferred to give the bigger tournaments a miss and participated in second-tier tournaments to regain her confidence and boost her points tally.)

Can Sania regain her lost glory? Can she arrest her slide?

Her current ranking is a dismal 142. Can she fulfill the promise she once displayed? Can she overcome her injuries and be the beacon for Indian women tennis players for some more years to come?

Or is she destined to follow the path of other Indian tennis players who have foregone any chances at personal glory and prefer their percentages in doubles? (If there is one thing I begrudge Leander and Mahesh, is that once they stumbled on the magic formula to lucre in doubles, it became an easy act to follow for the other tennis players from India.) Will Sania lose her way along the same route?

Only time will tell!

Source: http://bleacherreport.com/articles/425635-sania-mirza-whither-goest-thou

Iran Women's Soccer Team Sidelined for Islamic Dress

By LARA SETRAKIAN

Iran's women's soccer team may be sitting out the 2010 Youth Olympics in Singapore next month because of a dispute over their Islamic uniforms. The young athletes, all under 15, are at the center of a struggle over how to follow Iran's dress code and still compete in the international arena.

Last week the government unveiled the team's new outfits, a modest ensemble of pants, long sleeves, and high knee socks, with a cap that covers their hair. The outfits are designed in red, white and green to match the Iranian flag.

The top female official of Iran's physical education department was apparently offended by the uniforms, saying they were "inappropriate" and that the team would not compete in them. The uniforms had been a compromise; in 2007 FIFA, the organizing body of world soccer, had banned the old uniform because it included the hijab, or Islamic head scarf. The hejab violated FIFA safety regulations and a rule barring religious or political symbols on the field, Reuters reports.

Turkey Hungry For First Women's Medal in Basketball

Turkey may have won all three first round games at the U20 European Championship for Women, but Friday's quarter-finals is all that matters for Turkish coach Aziz Akkaya.

Turkey lost in the quarters of the past two U20 women events after finishing fourth in 2007. And Akkaya desperately wants to lead Turkey to their first ever women's European medal - senior or youth competition.

"I really hope that we can reach the last eight. It doesn't matter if we win these three (first round) games. The main day is Friday. That's what's important to us," said Akkaya after Turkey's exciting victory over Lithuania on Saturday.

The come-back victory over Lithuania gives Turkey a 2-0 record heading into the qualifying round starting on Monday with up-coming games against Italy, Serbia and Spain. One victory could be enough to get Akkaya's women back into the quarters.

"This time we want to win in the quarter-finals," said Akkaya.

The closest Turkey have come to a medal in women's youth tournaments was fourth place at the U20 women in 2007 and 2000 and the U16 women in 2005.

"We are on a quest for our first women's Euro medal. We really hope to finally win a medal at a tournament. This is very important for us," said Tugce Canitez, who scored 29 points against Lithuania including the game-winning three-point play with 7.4 seconds left.

"Beating Lithuania is a big step for us."

Canitez said Turkey must continue to play great defense and have a strong team spirit if they want to reach the final eight.

"Serbia and Spain are very good teams and it will be a great challenge for us," said the 19-year-old Canitez, who leads the team in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks.

The power forward's 18.7 points per game rank her third in the tournament while she leads all players with 14.0 rebounds a contest.

And Canitez will very soon also play a crucial role in the Turkey senior team, according to Akkaya.

The coach said the Turkish federation is trying to get Canitez to play for the senior national team for the EuroBasket Women qualification this summer when Turkey will take on Finland, Hungary, Bulgaria and Montenegro in Group C.

Canitez however is due to head back to the United States in August as she returns to North Idaho College for her sophomore season. The Konak native is hoping to transfer to a bigger university after next season and needs extra help for her grades, Akkaya said.

The coach said Canitez - and Turkish women's basketball - would be better served if she came back to Turkey.

"It's her decision to go to play in the United States but I told her she should play in turkey. In the U.S., she may be stronger but fundamentally I am sure that Europe is better than the United States," said Akkaya.

"So I think she needs to come back and play here. We need her for our senior team and Turkish women's basketball needs her."

He added: "She will be an important player for us for a long time.

Canitez could eventually help Turkey to their first women's youth medal and women's senior team medal.

Source: http://fiba.clients.starcut.com/inf/infomo?site=FIBA_Europe&view=newsdetails&feed:a=news&feed:c=news_europe&feed:i=BEC71C60F169996D96261E148DFA59E3

Muslim women game for rugby

By FINBARR BUNTING

NEW Zealand's traditional game has a fledgling following in a very unlikely place.

Following male-dominated Iran's relaxation of social rules in the 1990s, women began playing rugby union.

Auckland-based, Iranian-born, film-maker Faramarz Beheshti, 51, was so fascinated he made a documentary about it.

Salam Rugby will feature at the 2010 New Zealand International Film Festival, which screens until July 25 in Auckland.

"I went to Iran in 2006 to work on another film project that didn't end up happening and I saw by chance a picture of these girls playing rugby," Beheshti told Sunday News.

"I found it kind of charming as an idea so decided to work on it."

Beheshti said the code became so popular that representatives from around Iran gathered for training.

But soon after the birth of the new women's sport, legislation was introduced limiting the amount of contact men could have with women. That made it difficult for a male coach to take part in training.

The film, Salam Rugby, follows the would-be players as they challenge the law so they can compete.

"Sport is one of the few avenues for women in small towns to get out of the house," Beheshti said. "But the available rugby trainers were all men. The past four or five years have severely restricted the development of the women's game.

"The sport has potential in Iran for men, but with women there is a dire need for female coaches."

Beheshti is married to a Kiwi and has lived in New Zealand with their children since 2005, where he gained a passion for the game.

"Growing up in Italy it was all about football."

Beheshti was born in Iran and emigrated to Italy when he was four so had little experience of his birthplace before he made Salam Rugby.

"It gave me the opportunity to meet these wonderful people in this wonderful country. I had a desire to visit Iran properly but I now feel so blessed I have the chance to experience this," he said. And he loves his new homeland. "I love Auckland, I've found my spiritual city. It's beautiful."

Source: http://www.stuff.co.nz/sunday-news/news/3906876/Muslim-women-game-for-rugby