BENGALAURU: Tanya Hemanth of Karnataka captured the women’s singles title at the Iran Fajr International Badminton Challenge Sunday in Tehran, but had to wear a headscarf before collecting her gold medal.
Second seed Tanya, 19, who trains at Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, had the measure of defending champion and compatriot Tasnim Mir in 30 minutes.
The Bengaluru girl sailed in the first game, held on for a bit as the top seed in the second before recording a 21-7, 21-11 win. Apparently, the organizers asked Tanya to wear a headscarf at the awards ceremony, which was one of the conventions of the event. The practice was also prevalent last year when Tasnim took the crown.
Badminton sources told TOI that organizers had made it clear headscarves were mandatory for female medal winners, although the tournament prospectus made no mention of a podium dress code.
“The prospectus was talking about the dress code in the competition regulations of the Badminton World Federation, which is mostly common in tournaments around the world. While we knew headscarves were a must when women performed in Tehran, there was no particular mention of their wearing during the tournament,” the sources said.
The female shuttles faced no such restrictions during their games—leggings or headscarves—but no male spectators were allowed to watch them play.
A sticker at the entrance, reading “no men allowed,” did not discriminate between a player’s coach or her parent. Both were barred from entering the stadium if they were male.
Interestingly, the tournament featured mixed doubles for the first time, in which 10 couples from all over the world took part.
“The women’s program was in the morning and the men’s in the afternoon. Only female spectators were allowed to attend women’s matches. Additionally, the match officials were all women in the women’s matches. The male parents who accompanied their daughters to this match failed to watch a single match. It was only during mixed doubles that the men and women players were seen together on the court,” the sources said.
Incidentally, 13 Indian shuttles were in the fray along with a pair in doubles.
Results: Final: 2-Tanya Hemanth (Ind) bt 1-Tasnim Mir (Ind) 21-7, 21-11; Semifinals: bt 10-Stephanie Widjaja (Ina) 22-20, 22-20.
Second seed Tanya, 19, who trains at Prakash Padukone Badminton Academy, had the measure of defending champion and compatriot Tasnim Mir in 30 minutes.
The Bengaluru girl sailed in the first game, held on for a bit as the top seed in the second before recording a 21-7, 21-11 win. Apparently, the organizers asked Tanya to wear a headscarf at the awards ceremony, which was one of the conventions of the event. The practice was also prevalent last year when Tasnim took the crown.
Badminton sources told TOI that organizers had made it clear headscarves were mandatory for female medal winners, although the tournament prospectus made no mention of a podium dress code.
“The prospectus was talking about the dress code in the competition regulations of the Badminton World Federation, which is mostly common in tournaments around the world. While we knew headscarves were a must when women performed in Tehran, there was no particular mention of their wearing during the tournament,” the sources said.
The female shuttles faced no such restrictions during their games—leggings or headscarves—but no male spectators were allowed to watch them play.
A sticker at the entrance, reading “no men allowed,” did not discriminate between a player’s coach or her parent. Both were barred from entering the stadium if they were male.
Interestingly, the tournament featured mixed doubles for the first time, in which 10 couples from all over the world took part.
“The women’s program was in the morning and the men’s in the afternoon. Only female spectators were allowed to attend women’s matches. Additionally, the match officials were all women in the women’s matches. The male parents who accompanied their daughters to this match failed to watch a single match. It was only during mixed doubles that the men and women players were seen together on the court,” the sources said.
Incidentally, 13 Indian shuttles were in the fray along with a pair in doubles.
Results: Final: 2-Tanya Hemanth (Ind) bt 1-Tasnim Mir (Ind) 21-7, 21-11; Semifinals: bt 10-Stephanie Widjaja (Ina) 22-20, 22-20.
