Iranian female boxer cancels return home after arrest warrant issued

Iranian boxer Sadaf Khadem poses in the locker room after winning the fight against French boxer Anne Chauvin during an official boxing bout in Royan, France, 13 April – REUTERS

PARIS (Reuters): The first Iranian woman to contest an official boxing bout has cancelled plans to return home after an arrest warrant was issued for her in Tehran, her representative said yesterday as Iranian authorities issued a denial.

Sadaf Khadem beat French boxer Anne Chauvin in the bout which took place in western France on Saturday.

Her representative Clara Dallay told Reuters that authorities had issued arrest warrants against her and fight organiser Mahyar Monshipour.

Monshipour, an Iranian-born former boxing world champion who is now a French citizen, set up the bout after Iran opened the door to allowing women to box.

Iran boxing federation head Hossein Soori denied Khadem would be arrested, attributing the information to “media linked to Saudi Arabia”. “Mrs Khadem is not a member of (Iran’s) organised athletes for boxing, and from the boxing federation’s perspective all her activities are personal,” he was quoted as saying by the semi-official ISNA news agency.

Iranian women’s participation in sports events is heavily restricted, though authorities are beginning to give ground in some areas after years of campaigning by pressure groups.