From war-torn Iran to the Asian Games via Sonipat, a women’s kabaddi team chases its dream

The Iranian women have learnt to live with the war in the background.

The war travels with them: in the calls they make home, the messages they check, and the constant worry about their families. But once they step onto the mat, there is only kabaddi.

It has already cost them three months of preparation.

Training stopped. The team moved north for safety, and back home, families went into hiding, some taking shelter wherever they could.

For many of the players, there were weeks when they did not know where their families were or whether they were safe.

“It was a little hard for us because we were training while we were very worried about our families. It was hard not to have any news about them,” Zahra Karimi, one of the senior-most members of the team, tells Sportstar.

“But the only thing that kept us going was knowing that Iranian people are so strong, so powerful and so kind (sic). We know that no matter what happens, we will keep our hope and continue in every situation.”

The women did not lose hope.

Wherever they went, their training kits went with them. They knew they would train again, but did not know when or where.

Then came the journey to Sonipat, where they are trying to make up for lost time before the Asian Games.

At Khokhar Kabaddi Academy, a whistle cuts through the noise. A raider charges in, the defenders close in, and as someone gets it wrong, Gholamreza Mazandarani stops the drill.

| Video Credit: Shashi Shekhar Kashyap

For the Iranian coach, there is little time to waste.

“For five or six months, the ministry and the national federation kept calling me and asked me to work with the women’s team. I told them it would be very difficult for me because I didn’t have any experience in this area. But eventually, I came and started my job with the team,” he says.

He began working with them seven or eight months ago. Then everything changed.

“After one or two camps, everything was closed and stopped because of the war. We lost around three months. After that, we started going to the northern region because that area was a little safer,” Mazandarani says.

“The south of Iran was affected by the war and had a lot of problems. Tehran was also not safe, so we started training in the north. My wife was also there, and we had some camps there.”

Iran Kabaddi Coach Gholamreza Mazandarani has spent 20 years coaching, including with the men’s national team and in the Pro Kabaddi League. | Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

The team is young. More than 80 per cent of the squad has changed since the last Asian Games. Karimi is one of the few links to the side that won gold in Jakarta in 2018.

She is also one of the players the younger members turn to.

“Since I am one of the most experienced players in this team now, I really want to help the younger players. I try to share everything I know, and I really want us to be a very good team in this Asian Games. We have practised for so many days and I think we are ready,” Karimi says, as Mazandarani listens in.

The veteran coach knows what he has in front of him.

“The players are new, young and inexperienced. That was my challenge. I can improve their fitness, their skills and their mindset, but experience can’t be taught. For that, you need friendly matches,” he says.

Those matches were difficult to find in Iran.

“We tried to arrange friendly matches, but it was very difficult. We eventually played some matches, but the quality of the opposition was not good enough. We lost valuable time,” Mazandarani says.

So they came to India.

“We decided to come to India and play against some academies. That plan worked. Now we have played friendly matches against Khokhar Academy and SAI Academy.”

Sonipat has been the team’s base, but the preparation has not been confined to one particular academy. They have also trained at the Sports Authority of India centre nearby and played practice matches against local teams.

Of the 15 players in the group, only a couple speak English. Most conversations, therefore, revolve around Mazandarani and the two Zahras, Karimi and Astereki. They double up as translators, while the others listen and nod in agreement.

“We have 15 players here for the competition, but we have been working with two teams in practice. If possible, we want to play two matches, not just one,” the coach says.

“We will use two different combinations and different setups so that we can test all the players. Some players are here mainly for practice.”

The matches are also helping the players understand their coach.

“After a mistake in practice, I explain to the player why I made that correction. In practice, they may not understand it completely, but in a match they need to understand how I speak, what I want and why I am making a particular decision. That is very important for us.”

The war comes with them

Although India has given the team a place to train, the players continue to be anxious about the situation back home. “Yes, there were so many moments when I wanted to go home and see my family because I was worried about them. But I had a very big goal that I had to achieve. Because of that, I kept my cool and did not lose hope,” Karimi says.

“We had so many hard days in the camp and we tried so hard to control our emotions. It was not easy, but here we are - trying to achieve the goal we have been dreaming of,” she adds with a smile.

The players did what they could to stay in touch.

“For the first few months of the war, we had no internet in our country, but we could call each other. I remember the first day of the war, I called all my teammates and asked about their situation. We could call each other and know what was happening in each city…”

They spoke about the war, but less so now.

“Yes, sometimes we talk about the war, but nowadays we try not to talk about it because the war is not a good thing and we don’t want to remember those days.”

Astereki says this camp feels different from the others she has attended in India, especially the one in Mumbai in 2023.

“We are better prepared than at the other camps we have attended in India, and our minds are more relaxed. Haryana is very nice, and the people are warm and friendly,” she says.

“The teams are better, our practice sessions are more advanced, and the training facilities are very comfortable. We really needed this camp,” Astereki says.

After missing out on 40 days of training at home, the Iran players have finally been able to take the training sessions a step further here. | Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

But home is never far away.

“The war in our country has affected everything, it has even changed the way we breathe,” she says with a wry smile, adding: “But we are representatives of Iran and of our countrymen. We must give our best and get the best result.”

As missiles rained down on Iran, training stopped for more than a month.

“We stopped training for 40 days. Because of that, we have had to spend more days at camp, with very little time for rest,” Astereki says.

There are the everyday pressures as well. “The economy is very bad. Everything is very expensive, and most countries don’t have direct flights to Iran.”

Still, there is a tournament to prepare for.

“We are in a very bad situation. But at the end of the day, we are professional athletes, and it is our duty to keep the emotions under check and play to our potential.”

A new team, an old memory

Iran knows what winning at the Asian Games feels like.

In Jakarta in 2018, it beat India 27-24 in the final to win gold. Karimi was part of that team.

The younger players know that. They keep asking her about it.

“They always ask me what it was like, what my feelings were, and they always ask me to tell them about that moment. I really like to share it with them because it was a very exciting moment for me,” she says.

“Winning the gold medal was very special. It was a moment when I was really proud of myself and my team, and I was happy that we made our people happy.”

But this is a very different team.

“The 2018 team was more experienced. Most of the players had a lot of experience, but this team is very young. All the players, except two or three, are participating in the Asian Games for the first time,” Karimi, a star raider, says.

“It is really different. But the younger players have a lot of fighting spirit, and I know they can do it again.”

Mazandarani has spent 20 years coaching, including with the men’s national team and in the Pro Kabaddi League.

“With the men, most of the players have four or five seasons of experience. Some have played for 10 seasons. They are professional players and they know the game very well. So my job is easier because I don’t have to focus so much on basic skills. I can focus on efficiency and strategy,” he points out.

“You can find everything about an opponent — his height, speed, style, habits, which line he attacks and how he plays. You can prepare for that.”

Training under coach Mazandarani is extremely critical for the Iran team as there is no domestic competition in the country where they can gain match experience. | Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

The women in Iran do not get that kind of match practice.

“The big minus for us is that we don’t have a big domestic competition for women in Iran. They may play only once in a while, so their match experience is very low. Their skills are also not at the level I want.”

He sees a problem with the coaching structure, too.

“The quality of the women’s coaches in Iran is another problem. If a coach’s own knowledge is limited, how can that coach transfer knowledge to the players? That is a big problem for us.”

But Mazandarani does not want to dwell on what the team lacks.

“But I am trying my best. I don’t want to think about the problems. I am just working with my team and looking at what is possible.”

India, he says, has an advantage.

“We are looking at short-term results and trying to get the best out of the team. India have a big advantage because they have more competition, better training systems and much more experience. So our job is not easy, but I feel positive. We will try.”

Keep moving

For Karimi, playing for Iran carries a responsibility that goes beyond the result.

“We are not playing just for ourselves,” she says. “We are playing for our country and our people. We want to make them proud. We want to see our country’s name above the other countries, and more than anything, we want to make our people happy.”

Astereki puts it more simply.

“We must do it. We don’t have any other way. In this situation, we must succeed.”

Mazandarani sees the same determination. “If you want to achieve something, you have to make sacrifices. Sometimes you have to go far from home, sometimes you have to give up other things. That is part of the job.”

“Everybody knows we are in a bad situation. This is not good for the people of our country, and the situation is very difficult. But the players are strong. They don’t look back. They keep moving forward.”

Coach Mazandarani says sacrifices are necessary to achieve something, and his players are strong enough to handle the situation. | Photo Credit: SHASHI SHEKHAR KASHYAP

“You may see them as quiet and normal, but they are fighters. They have the chance to fight, and I believe that for Iranians, this is not a minus point. It can be a plus,” the coach says.

“We are not thinking about what we cannot change. We are looking to change something with the team,” he says. “I am a coach. If I can change my team and help them improve, that is what I will do.”

The team is still young. There is plenty to fix and the Asian Games are getting closer.

Karimi has been here before. She knows what it takes. “I really want us to be a very good team in these Asian Games. We have practised for so many days and I think we are ready,” she says.

Despite challenges, they have made it this far. Now they want the medal.