Iranian ambassador highlights expansion of sports cooperation with Russia

MOSCOW — Iran’s ambassador to Russia, Kazem Jalali, said the Iranian Embassy was prepared to support Iranian sports teams traveling to Russia and announced that the two countries were consulting on expanding sports cooperation and facilitating athletes’ participation in bilateral events.

Jalali made the remarks during a meeting in Moscow with members of Iran’s national beach soccer team, who had traveled to the Russian capital to take part in an international tournament, according to Iran’s embassy in Russia.

The ambassador praised the players’ determination and their efforts to represent Iran at international competitions. He described the team’s participation in the Moscow tournament as an example of Iran’s sports diplomacy, regardless of the result, and said the athletes were ambassadors of Iran whose presence could help strengthen ties between the two countries.

Jalali also welcomed a proposal from a team member to establish new sports structures involving Iran, Russia, China and other countries. He said Western countries had used international rules and structures, including in sports, as instruments of pressure, and argued that independent countries should develop new frameworks through mechanisms such as BRICS and the Shanghai Cooperation Organization.

During the meeting, team manager Saeed Gonji presented a report on Iran’s participation in the Moscow competition and discussed the team’s achievements in world and Asian events. Representatives of Iran’s Ministry of Sports and Youth, Iranian international referees, officials from the Resistance Golsa Poosh Yazd club and members of the coaching staff also spoke about the tournament, the development of Iranian beach soccer and the need for greater multilateralism in sport.

At the end of the meeting, the team’s head coach and players presented Jalali with a national-team jersey featuring Iran’s Asiatic cheetah emblem.