Girls Basketball Team - Tehran 1964
Women's Basketball Team - Tehran
Taj Basketball Team - Tehran
Pas Basketball Team - Tehran
Women's Basketball Team - Tehran
Club Basketball Teams
IRANA Women's Basketball Team - National Club Champs
IRANA & Ararat Teams - National Club Championship Game
Women's Basketball Team
Basketball Star: Mahin Korehchian
Mahin Korehchian
Mahin Korehchian in action
Shahla Rohani
Taj Player Fereshteh Golestani
Club Basketball
Ararat Basketball Team
Ararat vs isfahan
Girls' High School Basketball Team
Tehran Basketball Team
Tehran Basketball Team
Tehran Basketball Team
Girls' High School Basketball Team
Taj Basketball Team
Girls Basketball Team - Khuzestan
Women's Basketball Team
Girls Basketball Team
Girls Basketball Team
Tehran Basketball Team - Tehran 1970s
Girls Basketball Team
Ararat Basketball Team - Tehran 1970s
Girls Basketball Team - Tehran 1950s
Girls Basketball Team
Girls Basketball Team
Isfahan U. Basketball Team
Girls Basketball Team
Girls Basketball Team
Taj Players: Jenik Shahbazian and Stella Madadian
Tehran Women's Handball Team - 1977
Iranian League Handball Champions
Sister Swimmers Golnaz & Nooshafarin Sadri - 1967 Ettela'at Banovan
Girls Swimming Championship
Girls Swimming Championship
Iran national swimming team - Asian Games 1974
Iran national swimming team - Asian Games 1974
Iran national swimming team
Iran national swimming team - Asian Games 1974
Iran national swimming team
Iran national swimming team
Girls Swimming Team
Swimming Team
Teenage Swimming Sensation Tonia Valioghli
Tonia Valioghli
Nadia Valioghli
Nastaran Hassanizadeh
Golrokh Moezi
Golrokh Moezi (Center)
Golrokh Moezi
Zinat Movaid, Tonia Valioghli, Nastaran Hassanizadeh
Zinat Movaid
Zinat Movaid
Zinat Movaid
Zinat Movaid
Zinat Movaid
Nastaran Hassanizadeh, Tonia Valioghli
Nastaran Hassanizadeh
Farideh Pourabbas, Nastaran Hassanizadeh, Afsaneh Rayhani
Nastaran Hassanizadeh congratulates Afsaneh Rayhani
Linda & Shireen Firouzabadian (Half American)
Shireen Firouzabadian
Tonia Valioghli, Linda Firouzabadian, Haleh Vafaei
Haleh Vafaei, Tonia Valioghli
Minoo Forouzesh
Minoo Forouzesh
Minoo Forouzesh
Girls Swimming Competition
Diver Afsar Jafari
Female Diver - Amjadieh Stadium
Afsar Jafari - Female Diver & Gymnast
Female Water Skiers
Female Skydiver
Female Skydivers
Roya Track and field Team of Abadan
Track and Field Competition
Track and field Competition
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 Zahra Hosseini, 1975
Track and field star Fariba Jafarzadeh
Track and field star Jouliet Gevorgian
Track and field star Touran Shadpour
Ararat Club Running Team - 1970s
High School Team
Women's Gymnastics Team
Women's Gymnastics Team
Girls Gymnastics Team
Girls Gymnastics Team
Girls Gymnastics Team
Girls Gymnastics Team
Women's Gymnastics Team
Women's Gymnastics Team
Mahin Shahabi - Women's Gymnastics Team
Azar Davaloo-Ghajar - Women's Gymnastics Team
Women's Gymnastics
Women's Gymnastics Team
International gymnasts compete in Tehran - 1977
Women's Table Tennis Team
Women's Table Tennis Team - 1972 Asian Games
Women's Table Tennis Team
Table Tennis star Mina Kelishadi
Table Tennis star Carmen Galestian
Table Tennis star Niloufar Mohajeri
Tehran Table Tennis stars
High School Students Marching at Amjadieh Stadium
Female Athletes at an official celebration
Female Athletes celebrating Shah's Birthday - Amjadieh Stadium 1970s
Female Athletes celebrating Shah's Birthday - Amjadieh Stadium 1970s
Female Athletes celebrating the coronation - Amjadieh Stadium 1967
Schoolgirls greeting the Queen - 1961
Female Athletes - Tabriz Stadium 1970s
Kermanshah Female Athletes - 1970s
Kermanshah Volleyball Team - 1970s
>
Taj volleyball team
Taj volleyball team
Taj volleyball team - 1960s
Taj volleyball player greeting Turkish player
Isfahan volleyball team
National Volleyball Team - 1966
Women's Volleyball Team Tehran - 1973
Girls volleyball team
Nursing school volleyball team
Girls volleyball team
Pas Tehran volleyball team
Broujerd and Khormashahr volleyball teams
Anooshiravan Dadgar High School Volleyball Team
Anooshiravan Dadgar High School Volleyball Team
Girls volleyball team
Girls volleyball team
Deyhim Vollyeball Players
Tarbiat Moalem volleyball & bsketball teams
Women's Volleyball
Women's Volleyball
Women's Volleyball
Taj vs Arart
Women's Volleyball - Iran vs South Korea
Iran vs South Kores Vollyball
Volleyball Game
Volleyball - Taj vs Saipa
Volleyball - Taj vs Afsar
Volleyball Tournament with Turkey
Women's Volleyball Team
Women's Volleyball Team
Women's Volleyball
Iran vs South Korea Volleyball
Women's Volleyball Team
Volleyball Players
Taj Women's Volleyball Team
Women's Volleyball Team
Women's Volleyball
S. Korea Women's National Volleyball Team
Iran Women's National Volleyball Team
Women's Volleyball
Mari Tet - Captain of Vollyball Team - 1960s
Iran Women's National Volleyball Team
Iran Women's National Volleyball Team
Iran Women's National Volleyball Team - 1966 Asian Games, Bangkok
Women's National Volleyball Team
Martial Arts athletes
Martial Arts athletes
Martial Arts athletes
Martial arts athletes
Martial arts athletes
Judo Competition
Sport magazine featuring male & female athletes on the front cover
Girls training at the gym
Cycling Champions - 1969
Cycling Champion - 1969
Cycling Competition
High school student-athletes
Female Polo Players - Nowruz-Abad Tehran
Female Riders - Tehran Club
Golnar Bakhtiar
Golnar Bakhtiar - Equestrian Competition, Tehran
Pouri Banaei in riding gear
Female Boxers - Taj Club
Female Boxers - Taj Club
Fencing Champions - Asian Games
Fencing Champions - Asian Games
Fencing Champions - Asian Games
Fencing Champions - Asian Games
Fencing Champion Jila Almasi
Fencing Champion Jila Almasi
Fencing Champions
Fencing Champions
Fencing Champion: Giti Mohebban
Fencing Champion: Giti Mohebban
VIDEO
VOA - Giti Mohebban
Fencing Champion: Mahvash Shafaei
Female Figure Skaters
Female Figure Skaters
Female Figure Skaters
Skaters
Female Skiers
Farah Diba skiing in Shemshak
Ping Pong Players
Sporting Goods advertisement
Cheerleaders
Girls Soccer Team
Iran & Australia girls soccer team - Aryamehr Stadium
Women in Aryamehr Stadium
Taj Girls Soccer Team
Girls Soccer Team
Taj Girls Soccer Team
Taj Girls vs Deyhim Team
Taj Girls Soccer Team
Persepolis Girls Soccer Team
Girls Soccer Team
Taj vs Italy
Female Player
Women's Basketball Team - Tehran
Women's Handball Team - Tehran
Male & Female football players at an official celebration - Amjadieh Stadium
Women at the stadium
Tennis Player - 1970s
Tennis Player - 1950s
Tennis Player
Tennis Players
Male & Female Tennis Players
Male & Female Tennis Players
Tennis Players
Male & Female Table Tennis Players
Female Mountain Ciimbers
Male & Female Handball Players
Student Athletes
Student Athletes
Student Athletes
Yoga Players
Yoga Players
Yoga Player
Iranian athletes - 1964 Tokyo Olympics
Farah Pahlavi greeting Iranian athletes competing in the 1964 Tokyo Olympics
Women watching a game at the stadium
Male & Female players heading to the Seoul games - Shaheen Rezai, Zari Husseini & Marayam Sedarati
Male & Female players - Seoul Asian Games, 1970s
Iranian athletes - 1974 Asian Games
Female athletes - 1974 Asian Games
VIDEO
The opening of the Tehran 1974 Asian Games
Tehran 1974 Asian tournament stamps
Actesses Mahnaz, Aram, Sepideh, and Marjan promoting women's sports
Cover of an Iranian Weekly Magazine
Farah Diba marching - Amjadieh Stadium, Tehran
Shahbanou & Friends at Caspain Sea
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 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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