The Iranian women’s rowing team has won second place in the World Rowing Tour in Spain, in the 200-meter dragon boat competitions. There were 12 teams in total.
The captain of the Bandar Abbas women’s rowing team, Yeganeh Yaghootpour, told ISNA (the Iranian Students News Agency): “We came second in the first round of the competition, but couldn’t take part in the final race, because it required a mixed crew of male and female rowers.”
“Iran, Australia, Canada, China, Germany, Belgium, Italy and Spain competed in the tour,” Yaghootpour said. “Team members have to pay for their travel expenses. We sometimes receive financial help from private contributors.”
Yaghootpour is currently training at the Nakhoda Rowing Club in Bandar Abbas. She started rowing in 2015. She was selected for the women’s national team in the same year, and later represented Iran in China.
“Our team trained in awful conditions in Hormozgan. We walked in wastewater and mud. The training area was covered with sharp shells that cut our hands and feet,” she noted. “There was no tap or water hose for rowers to wash their hands and feet.”
Yaghootpour concluded: “We have to pay for the repair of our boats. We don’t even have a proper dragon drum, which is essential for coordinating and synchronizing rowing motion. We use a box for a drum.”
