Iranian women's rugby team take to the field wearing modesty-preserving headscarves and tracksuits

Nick Pisa Daily Mail 08/01/2010 15:48

If the rugby-playing women of Iran's national sevens team had cauliflower ears, no-one could tell. Kitted out in tight-fitting headscarves and full tracksuits to protect their modesty, the players caused quite a stir when they played in Europe for the first time.

Taking to the field in a women's seven-a-side tournament in Cortina D'Ampezzo, Italy, they were dealt a 10-0 by the host nation and then suffered a further 33-0 setback in a second game.

But the players, whose hands and faces were the only areas of skin on public view, bounced back, defeating local side Valsugana 10-3.

In all the matches the team played wearing the 'maghnaeh', a veil that fully covers the head, shoulders and neck, along with red tracksuit tops and bottoms.

A quarter of a century ago, in the early years of the 1979 Islamic revolution when competitive sports for women were strongly discouraged, it would have been unthinkable for Iranian women to play a sport as physical as rugby.

Iranian team coach Fatme Molai, who has been in the job for four years, said: 'Wearing a veil does not change our method of play - clothes are something you wear and don't influence what you know how to do.

'To be honest the federation are looking at other head covers which are perhaps more practical.

'This was our first tournament in Europe and although we didn't win as we did in Laos and Thailand I am very happy.'