close button
Switch to Iranwire Light?
It looks like you’re having trouble loading the content on this page. Switch to Iranwire Light instead.
Women

Iranian Female Billiards Player Makes History at Asian Championships

October 4, 2016
1 min read
Iranian Female Billiards Player Makes History at Asian Championships

Akram Mohammadi Amini made history at the First Asian Billiard Sports Championship, becoming Iran’s first female billiards player to win a medal in an international competition.

Mohammadi won a bronze medal in the individual 9-ball competitions at the First Asian Billiard Sports Championship, which took place in the emirate of Al Fujairah in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) from September 25 to October 2. As billiards is widely seen as a male-only sport in Iran, Mohammadi’s achievement is an important milestone for Iranian women and billiards. One of the first Iranian women to compete in the sport, before the UAE competition she achieved considerable success at the domestic level. 

Throughout the week, as Mehr News Agency and other Iranian outlets reported, more than 200 players from 25 countries competed in 11 disciplines. Besides Mohammadi, four other Iranian women competed in the games.

Iran’s male athletes also performed well at the competition, with Amir Sarkhosh winning a gold medal, and Soheil Vahedi taking a silver. Two other Iran billiards players each won a bronze.

Following the 1979 Islamic Revolution, billiards was banned, as it was considered to be a form of gambling. But after it became one of the 11 areas in which athletes could compete at the Asian Games, Iranian sports authorities discussed reversing the ban, a move that won the approval of Supreme Leader Ayatollah Khamenei in 1999. At that point, billiards rooms were reopened and soon came the establishment of the Iranian Bowling and Billiard Federation. 

Akram Mohammadi has won Iran’s billiards championship three times. She also competes in basketball, swimming and diving.

comments

Images of Iran

Iran Launches Women's Beach Football Teams

October 4, 2016
IranWire
1 min read
Iran Launches Women's Beach Football Teams