For many female athletes in Iran, success is not only measured by medals, but by whether anyone sees them. Despite competing at national and international levels, many athletes say they remain largely invisible in the mass media. This lack of coverage affects everything from public recognition to sponsorship opportunities. In my research on media coverage of Iranian female athletes, I explored how this visibility gap shapes both their challenges and their strategies. The find

Connecting Culture, Samsaris, and Media Literacy

Women’s sports in Iran rarely remain just about sport. Especially during global events such as the Olympics, public debates often shift away from athletic performance to broader social and cultural questions—sometimes overshadowing the achievements of the athletes themselves. For years, this tension has shaped how Iranian female athletes are seen—and how they see themselves. More than a decade ago, I reported on women’s sports in Iran, a piece that later received recognition