Iranian ministers consult on sports diplomacy

TEHRAN – The joint meeting of the Minister of Sport and Youth and the Minister of Foreign Affairs with the heads of sports federations was held to facilitate international affairs in this field.

Abbas Araghchi, the Foreign Minister, joined Sports Minister Ahmad Donyamali to discuss sports diplomacy for the country.

Given the high importance of sports diplomacy in developing sport, presidents of the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees, as well as heads of sports federations, were present at the meeting on Saturday.

“In the 12 days of confrontation with Israel, many national teams were abroad competing, and due to canceled flights, they could not return home. However, the Foreign Ministry officials were active during these hard days and did everything in their power to remove obstacles in line with the sports community,” Donyamali said.

The Minister of Sport and Youth then emphasized the need for deeper interaction between the sports family and the Foreign Ministry, adding: “The sports federations and the National Olympic and Paralympic Committees played an effective role during the conflict, both among the athletes and on international stages. We believe the status of sports diplomacy is so important that it helps elevate the country’s overall diplomatic standing in such times.”

He noted that one of the major problems for sports federations is the lack of visas for athletes.

Donyamali then outlined upcoming important events for Iranian sport:

“The Youth Asian Games in Bahrain and the Islamic Solidarity Games in Saudi Arabia are significant multi-sport events we are approaching this year. We have no concerns about the Solidarity Games since necessary consultations have been conducted with the Saudi ambassador. Regarding Bahrain, our expectation is to benefit more from the ministry’s capacity so that our athletes can focus entirely on hoisting the national flag with peace of mind,” Donyamali said.