Tehran, Iran, July 3, 2023: The President of the National Olympic Committee of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Mahmoud Khosravi Vafa, participated in a high-level meeting with government ministers and sports officials in Tehran on Monday, July 3.
Participating at the meeting were Iranian Foreign Affairs Minister Dr. Hossein Amir-Abdollahian, Sports Minister Dr. Seyed Hamid Sajjadi, presidents of National Sports Federations and other high-ranking sports officials.
Addressing the meeting, NOC President Khosravi Vafa said: “I appreciate the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for giving me such an opportunity. Diplomacy can assist sports. Sport is an opportunity for the country to increase its capacities through international competitions. Sport is a great opportunity for the rulers of all countries. We can open many political situations through sports, and sports can help diplomacy.
“Sports diplomacy can be used effectively with political diplomacy. If we want to gain sensitive positions in the field of sports, our ministers can help. These sports opportunities should be used. I hope our interactions will increase and we will witness better events,” added the NOC President.
Appreciating the Foreign Affairs Minister for holding the meeting, Sports Minister Dr. Seyed Sajjadi noted: “More than 100 sports associations and more than 50 sports federations are active in the country. We have 235 sports in the country. Each of the active disciplines interacts with international events and therefore faces various international challenges. We need to comply with laws and this requires the guidance of the Foreign Affairs Ministry. We need to take advantage of the assistance of the Foreign Affairs Ministry and the ambassadors of our country overseas.”