Women's Sports in Pahlavi Era


Reza Shah Kabir High School Basketball Team- Tehran 1964

Girls Basketball Team - Tehran 1964


Women's Basketball Team, Taj Club - Tehran

Women's Basketball Team - Tehran


Taj Basketball Team - Tehran

Taj Basketball Team - Tehran


Pas Basketball Team - Tehran

Pas Basketball Team - Tehran


Women's Basketball Team - Tehran

Women's Basketball Team - Tehran

Club Basketball Teams

Club Basketball Teams


IRANA Women's Basketball Team - Tehran

IRANA Women's Basketball Team - National Club Champs


IRANA & Ararat Women's Basketball Teams - Tehran

IRANA & Ararat Teams - National Club Championship Game

>Women's Basketball Team

Women's Basketball Team

Basketball Star: Mahin Korehchian

Basketball Star: Mahin Korehchian

Basketball Star: Mahin Korehchian

Mahin Korehchian

Mahin Korehchian in action

Mahin Korehchian in action

Basketball Star: Shahla Rohani

Shahla Rohani

Fereshteh Golestani

Taj Player Fereshteh Golestani

Club Basketball

Club Basketball


Ararat Basketball Team

Ararat Basketball Team


Ararat vs isfahan

Ararat vs isfahan


Girls' High School Basketball Team

Girls' High School Basketball Team


Tehran Basketball Team

Tehran Basketball Team


Tehran Basketball Team

Tehran Basketball Team


Tehran Basketball Team

Tehran Basketball Team

Girls' High School Basketball Team

Girls' High School Basketball Team


Taj Basketball Team

Taj Basketball Team



Girls Basketball Team - Khuzestan

Girls Basketball Team - Khuzestan


Women's Basketball Team

Women's Basketball Team

Girls Basketball Team - Tehran

Girls Basketball Team



Girls Basketball Team - Tehran

Girls Basketball Team


Tehran Basketball Team

Tehran Basketball Team - Tehran 1970s


Girls Basketball Team - Tehran

Girls Basketball Team


Ararat Basketball Team

Ararat Basketball Team - Tehran 1970s


Girls Basketball Team: Farah Diba wearing the #10 jersey - Tehran

Girls Basketball Team - Tehran 1950s


Girls Basketball Team - Tehran

Girls Basketball Team


Girls Basketball Team - Tehran

Girls Basketball Team



Isfahan U. Basketball Team

Isfahan U. Basketball Team



Girls Basketball Team

Girls Basketball Team


Girls Basketball Team - Tehran

Girls Basketball Team


Taj Players: Jenik Shahbazian and Stella Madadian

Taj Players: Jenik Shahbazian and Stella Madadian


Tehran Women's Handball Team

Tehran Women's Handball Team - 1977


Tehran Women's Handball Team

Iranian League Handball Champions



Swimmers Golnaz Sadri & Nooshafarin

Sister Swimmers Golnaz & Nooshafarin Sadri - 1967 Ettela'at Banovan


Girls Swimming Championship

Girls Swimming Championship

Girls Swimming Championship

Girls Swimming Championship


National Swimming Team

Iran national swimming team - Asian Games 1974


From left:  Haleh Vafaei, Shirin Firouzabadian, Linda Firouzabadian, Nastaran Hassanizadeh, Leslie Firouzabadian, Farideh Pourabbas, Nastaran Hassanizadeh, Tonia Valioghli - National swimming team 1974

Iran national swimming team - Asian Games 1974


Iran national swimming team

Iran national swimming team

National swimming team members Shirin Firouzabadian, Farideh Pourabbas, Leslie Firouzabadian and Zinat Movaid posing with the Japanese gold winner Yoshimi Nishigawa - Asian Games 1974<

Iran national swimming team - Asian Games 1974


National Swimming Team

Iran national swimming team


National Swimming Team

Iran national swimming team


Swimming Team

Girls Swimming Team


Swimming Team

Swimming Team


Teenage Swimming Sensation Tonia Valioghli

Teenage Swimming Sensation Tonia Valioghli



Tonia Valioghli Tonia Valioghli Tonia Valioghli



Swimming Sensation Tonia Valioghli Tonia Valioghli in Kayhan Varzeshi

Tonia Valioghli


Nadia Valioghli

Nadia Valioghli

Nastaran Hassanizadeh

Nastaran Hassanizadeh

Golrokh Moezi

Golrokh Moezi

Golrokh Moezi

Golrokh Moezi (Center)

Golrokh Moezi

Golrokh Moezi

Zinat Movaid, Tonia Valioghli, Nastaran Hassanizadeh

Zinat Movaid, Tonia Valioghli, Nastaran Hassanizadeh

Zinat Movaid

Zinat Movaid

Zinat Movaid

Zinat Movaid

Zinat Movaid

Zinat Movaid

Zinat Movaid

Zinat Movaid

Zinat Movaid

Zinat Movaid

Nastaran Hassanizadeh & Tonia Valioghli

Nastaran Hassanizadeh, Tonia Valioghli


National Swimming Team

Nastaran Hassanizadeh


From left to right: Farideh Pourabbas, Nastaran Hassani, Afsaneh Rayhani

Farideh Pourabbas, Nastaran Hassanizadeh, Afsaneh Rayhani


Nastaran Hassanizadeh & Afsaneh Rayhani

Nastaran Hassanizadeh congratulates Afsaneh Rayhani


Linda & Shireen Firouzabadian

Linda & Shireen Firouzabadian (Half American)


Shireen Firouzabadian

Shireen Firouzabadian


From left to right: Tonia Valioghli, Linda Firouzabadian, Haleh Vafaei

Tonia Valioghli, Linda Firouzabadian, Haleh Vafaei


Haleh Vafaei,Tonia Valioghli

Haleh Vafaei, Tonia Valioghli


Minoo Forouzesh

Minoo Forouzesh


Minoo Forouzesh

Minoo Forouzesh


Minoo Forouzesh

Minoo Forouzesh


Girls Swimming Competition

Girls Swimming Competition


Diver Afsar Jafari

Diver Afsar Jafari


Female Diver

Female Diver - Amjadieh Stadium


Afsar Jafari

Afsar Jafari - Female Diver & Gymnast



Female Water Skiers


Female Skydiver

Female Skydiver


Female Skydiver

Female Skydivers


Roya Track and field Team of Abadan

Roya Track and field Team of Abadan


Track and field Competition

Track and Field Competition


Track and field Competition

Track and field Competition


Track and field Star Akhtar Ahmadi

Track and field star Akhtar Ahmadi


Track and field Star Maryam Sedarati

Track and field star Maryam Sedarati

Track and field Star Maryam Sedarati

Track and field star Maryam Sedarati

Track and field Star Maryam Sedarati

Track and field star Maryam Sedarati

Track and field Star Maryam Sedarati

Track and field star Maryam Sedarati

Track and field Star Zahra Hosseini, 1975

Track and field star Zahra Hosseini, 1975

rack and field star Fariba Jafarzadeh

Track and field star Fariba Jafarzadeh

Track and field star Jouliet Gevorgian

Track and field star Jouliet Gevorgian

Touran Shadpour

Track and field star Touran Shadpour


Ararat Club Running Team - 1970s

Ararat Club Running Team - 1970s


High School Team

High School Team


Wome's Gymnastics Team

Women's Gymnastics Team


Wome's Gymnastics Team

Women's Gymnastics Team


Girls Gymnastics Team

Girls Gymnastics Team


Girls Gymnastics Team

Girls Gymnastics Team


Girls Gymnastics Team

Girls Gymnastics Team


Girls Gymnastics Team

Girls Gymnastics Team


Women's Gymnastics Team

Women's Gymnastics Team


Women's Gymnastics Team

Women's Gymnastics Team


Mahin Shahabi

Mahin Shahabi - Women's Gymnastics Team


Azar Davaloo-Ghajar - Women's Gymnastics Team

Azar Davaloo-Ghajar - Women's Gymnastics Team


Women's Gymnastics

Women's Gymnastics


Women's Gymnastics Team

Women's Gymnastics Team


International gymnasts compete in Tehran

International gymnasts compete in Tehran - 1977


Women's Table Tennis Team

Women's Table Tennis Team


Women's Table Tennis Team

Women's Table Tennis Team - 1972 Asian Games


Women's Table Tennis Team

Women's Table Tennis Team


Mina Kelishadi

Table Tennis star Mina Kelishadi


Carmen Galestian

Table Tennis star Carmen Galestian


Table Tennis star Niloufar Mohajeri

Table Tennis star Niloufar Mohajeri


Tehran Table Tennis stars  Tehran Table Tennis stars

Tehran Table Tennis stars



High School Students Marching at Amjadieh Stadium

High School Students Marching at Amjadieh Stadium



Female Athletes

Female Athletes at an official celebration



Female Athletes

Female Athletes celebrating Shah's Birthday - Amjadieh Stadium 1970s


Female Athletes

Female Athletes celebrating Shah's Birthday - Amjadieh Stadium 1970s


Female Athletes

Female Athletes celebrating the coronation - Amjadieh Stadium 1967


Schoolgirls

Schoolgirls greeting the Queen - 1961


Female Athletes

Female Athletes - Tabriz Stadium 1970s


Kermanshah Female Athletes

Kermanshah Female Athletes - 1970s


Kermanshah Volleyball Team

Kermanshah Volleyball Team - 1970s


>Taj volleyball team

Taj volleyball team


Taj volleyball team

Taj volleyball team


Taj volleyball team - Ashraf Vahidian

Taj volleyball team - 1960s


Taj volleyball player greeting Turkish player

Taj volleyball player greeting Turkish player


Isfahan volleyball team

Isfahan volleyball team


National Volleyball Team

National Volleyball Team - 1966


Women's Volleyball Team Tehran

Women's Volleyball Team Tehran - 1973


Girls volleyball team

Girls volleyball team


Nursing school volleyball team

Nursing school volleyball team


Girls volleyball team

Girls volleyball team


Pas Tehran volleyball team

Pas Tehran volleyball team


Broujerd and Khormashahr volleyball teams

Broujerd and Khormashahr volleyball teams


Anooshiravan Dadgar High School Volleyball Team

Anooshiravan Dadgar High School Volleyball Team


Anooshiravan Dadgar High School Volleyball Team

Anooshiravan Dadgar High School Volleyball Team


Girls volleyball team

Girls volleyball team


Girls volleyball team

Girls volleyball team


Deyhim Vollyeball Players

Deyhim Vollyeball Players


Tarbiat Moalem volleyball & bsketball teams

Tarbiat Moalem volleyball & bsketball teams


Women's Volleyball

Women's Volleyball


Women's Volleyball

Women's Volleyball


Women's Volleyball

Women's Volleyball


Taj vs Arart

Taj vs Arart


Women's Volleyball

Women's Volleyball - Iran vs South Korea



Iran vs South Kores Vollyball


Iran vs South Kores Vollyball



Volleyball Game

Volleyball Game



Volleyball Game

Volleyball - Taj vs Saipa



Volleyball Game

Volleyball - Taj vs Afsar



Volleyball Tournament with Turkey

Volleyball Tournament with Turkey


Women's Volleyball Team

Women's Volleyball Team


Women's Volleyball Team

Women's Volleyball Team


Women's Volleyball  Homa Volleyball Team

Women's Volleyball



Iran vs South Korea Volleyball

Iran vs South Korea Volleyball


Women's Volleyball Team

Women's Volleyball Team


Volleyball Players

Volleyball Players


Taj Women's Volleyball Team

Taj Women's Volleyball Team


Women's Volleyball Team

Women's Volleyball Team


Women's Volleyball

Women's Volleyball


Women's Volleyball

S. Korea Women's National Volleyball Team


Women's Volleyball

Iran Women's National Volleyball Team


Women's Volleyball  Women's Volleyball

Women's Volleyball


Mari Tet - Captain of Vollyball Team

Mari Tet - Captain of Vollyball Team - 1960s


Women's Volleyball

Iran Women's National Volleyball Team


=

Iran Women's National Volleyball Team


Women's Volleyball

Iran Women's National Volleyball Team - 1966 Asian Games, Bangkok


Women's National Volleyball Team

Women's National Volleyball Team



Martial Arts athletes

Martial Arts athletes


Martial Arts athletes

Martial Arts athletes


Martial Arts athletes

Martial Arts athletes


Martial Arts athletes

Martial arts athletes


Martial Arts athletes

Martial arts athletes


Judo Competition

Judo Competition


Donya Varzesh Magazine

Sport magazine featuring male & female athletes on the front cover


Girls training at the gym

Girls training at the gym


Cycling Champions

Cycling Champions - 1969


Cycling Champion

Cycling Champion - 1969


Cycling Competition

Cycling Competition


High school student-athletes

High school student-athletes


Female Polo Players

Female Polo Players - Nowruz-Abad Tehran


Female Riders - Tehran Club

Female Riders - Tehran Club


Female Rider: Golnar Bakhtiar

Golnar Bakhtiar


Equestrian Competition at Aryamehr Stadium. Golnar Bakhtiar

Golnar Bakhtiar - Equestrian Competition, Tehran


Female Rider: Pouri Banaei

Pouri Banaei in riding gear


Female Boxers - Taj Club

Female Boxers - Taj Club

Female Boxers - Taj Club

Female Boxers - Taj Club

Fencing Champions - From Left: Maryam Shariatzadeh, Mahvash Shafahi,  Maryam Achak, Gitty Majiyan, Jila Almasi - Asian Games

Fencing Champions - Asian Games

Fencing Champions - Asian GamesFencing Champions - Asian Games

Fencing Champions - Asian Games

Fencing Champions - From Right: Mahvash Shafahi, Maryam Shariatzadeh, Jila Almasi,  Maryam Achak, Gitty Majiyan - Asian Games

Fencing Champions - Asian Games

Fencing Champions: Top: Maryam Shariatzadeh, Mahvash Shafahi, Bottom: Maryam Achak, Jila Almasi, Gitty Majiyan - Asian Games

Fencing Champions - Asian Games

Fencing Champion Jila Almasi

Fencing Champion Jila Almasi

Fencing Champion Jila Almasi competed in the foil events at the 1976 Summer Olympics

Fencing Champion Jila Almasi

Fencing Champions

Fencing Champions

Fencing Champions

Fencing Champions

Fencing Champion: Giti Mohebban

Fencing Champion: Giti Mohebban

Fencing Champion: Giti Mohebban

Fencing Champion: Giti Mohebban


VOA - Giti Mohebban

Fencing Champion: Mahvash Shafaei

Fencing Champion: Mahvash Shafaei

Female Figure Skaters

Female Figure Skaters


Female Figure Skaters

Female Figure Skaters


Female Figure Skaters

Female Figure Skaters


Skaters

Skaters


Female skiers on the cover of an Iranian magazine

Female Skiers


Farah Diba skiing in Shemshak

Farah Diba skiing in Shemshak


Ping Pong Players

Ping Pong Players


Sporting Goods advertisement

Sporting Goods advertisement


Iranian Cheerleaders Iranian Cheerleaders

Cheerleaders


Girls Soccer Team

Girls Soccer Team


Iran & Australia girls soccer team - Aryamehr Stadium

Iran & Australia girls soccer team - Aryamehr Stadium


Women in Aryamehr Stadium

Women in Aryamehr Stadium


Taj Girls Soccer Club

Taj Girls Soccer Team


Girls Soccer Team

Girls Soccer Team


Taj Girls Soccer Club

Taj Girls Soccer Team


Taj Girls Soccer Club

Taj Girls vs Deyhim Team


Taj Girls Soccer Team

Taj Girls Soccer Team


Persepolis Girls Soccer Team

Persepolis Girls Soccer Team


Girls Soccer Team

Girls Soccer Team


Taj vs Italy

Taj vs Italy


Ali Parvin & female player

Female Player


Women's Basketball Team - Tehran

Women's Basketball Team - Tehran


Women's Handball Team - Tehran

Women's Handball Team - Tehran


Male & Female Athletes

Male & Female football players at an official celebration - Amjadieh Stadium


Women at the stadium

Women at the stadium


Tennis Player, S. Akbari - 1970s

Tennis Player - 1970s


Tennis Player - 1950s

Tennis Player - 1950s


Tennis Player

Tennis Player


Tennis Players

Tennis Players


Male & Female Tennis Players

Male & Female Tennis Players


Male & Female Tennis Players

Male & Female Tennis Players


Tennis Players

Tennis Players


Male & Female Table Tennis Players

Male & Female Table Tennis Players


Female Mountain Ciimbers

Female Mountain Ciimbers


Male & Female Handball Players

Male & Female Handball Players


Student Athletes

Student Athletes


Student Athletes

Student Athletes


Student Athletes

Student Athletes


Yoga Players

Yoga Players


Yoga Players

Yoga Players


Yoga Player

Yoga Player


Iranian athletes - 1964 Tokyo Olympics

Iranian athletes - 1964 Tokyo Olympics


Farah Palavi and Iranian athletes - 1964 Tokyo Olympics

Farah Pahlavi greeting Iranian athletes competing in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics


Women at the stadium

Women watching a game at the stadium


Male & Female Athletes

Male & Female players heading to the Seoul games - Shaheen Rezai, Zari Husseini & Marayam Sedarati


Male & Female Athletes - Seoul Asian Games, 1970s

Male & Female players - Seoul Asian Games, 1970s


Iranian athletes - 1974 Asian Games

Iranian athletes - 1974 Asian Games


Female athletes

Female athletes - 1974 Asian Games



The opening of the Tehran 1974 Asian Games



1974 Asian tournament stamp  1974 Asian tournament stamp   1974 Asian tournament stamp   1974 Asian tournament stamp

Tehran 1974 Asian tournament stamps




Actress Mahnaz  Acrtess Aram    Acrtess Sepideh  Acrtess Marjan

Actesses Mahnaz, Aram, Sepideh, and Marjan promoting women's sports


Female Football Player

Cover of an Iranian Weekly Magazine


Farah Diba

Farah Diba marching - Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran


Shahbanou & Friends at Caspain Sea

Shahbanou & Friends at Caspain Sea


Farah Pahlavi Farah Pahlavi

Avid Skier Shahbanou Farah




International Competition

1958 Tokyo Olympics
First Int. Event: competed in track and field (No medals)

1964 Tokyo Olympics
Nazli Bayat Makou (Athletics)
Juliette Geverkof (Athletics)
Simin Safamehr (Athletics)
Jamileh Sorouri (Gymnastics)

1966 Bangkok Asian Games
Volleyball bronze medal

1974 Tehran Asian Games
Fencing: Women's team foil gold:
Maryam Achak
Jila Almasi
Giti Mohebban (Women's individual foil Bronze)
Mahvash Shafaei (Women's individual foil Silver)
Maryam Shariatzadeh

1976 Montréal Olympics
Maryam Achak (Fencing) | Wikipedia
Gitty Mohebban (Fencing) | Wikipedia
Mahvash Shafaie (Fencing) | Wikipedia




Sports or sexy legs?
No Iranian woman ever medaled in the Olympics before the revolution. Women participated for the first time at the 1958 Tokyo Asian games in athletics. The women's volleyball team won the first bronze medal at the 1966 Asian games in Bangkok. Iran's best performance at the international level was at the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran. The fencing foil team won a gold medal and an individual silver and a bronze medal.

The sports programming for girls and women were minimal at best during the Pahlavi Era. The main objective of the women's sports program was to convey an image of modernity. Schoolgirls wearing sexy miniskirts and shorts marched in official celebrations and government parades. They were also used to greet foreign dignitaries. The public relations arm of the government focused on showing the world the sexy silky smooth legs of Iranian women. Perhaps this wasn't such a bad idea, in retrospect, because we are now perceived by the rest of the world as the most violent people on the planet.

Schoolgirls  wearing mini skirts greet President Nixon and First Lady Patricia Nixon at Tehran Mehrabad Airport, 05/30/1972 - Image courtesy of the Nixon Presidential Library

Schoolgirls wearing mini skirts greet President Nixon at Tehran Mehrabad Airport - 05/30/1972,


Video


Pahlavi Promotional Video (In French and dubbed in Persian)


Related Links
The Women's Movement-Haleh Esfandiari
Women's Sports
Iran Women


Image Credits: All images are from Iranian newspaper & magazine clippings which are now in the public domain. Most of the images were enhanced by sharpening, adjusting the saturation and color balance.




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