Tasnim - Head coach of Iran’s U-19 women’s national soccer team Katayoun "Kat" Khosrowyar hopes Nike will have Iranian women who have won Olympic medals and Asian Games medals take part in an ad campaign for the hijab.
Khosrowyar, 30, was born and raised in Tulsa, Oklahoma. Since 2005, she has been living in Iran, the birthplace of her grandparents.
“About hijab, if the material would change to a proper sports material, it would be much better, rather than the 100% polyester we currently use. In 2011, we were disqualified from the second round of Olympic qualifications because of the hijab,” Khosrowyar said in an interview with USA TODAY.
“However, in 2013 that ruling was overturned, and we were allowed to play again. I hope one day Nike will have Iranian women who have won Olympic medals and Asian Games medals take part in an ad campaign for the hijab. In any case, we are still thriving and determined to win, no matter what we are wearing,” she added.
Asked her how big is the soccer in Iran compared with other Middle East countries, Khosrowyar said, “Huge! To be honest, the Iranian population gets very emotional when their teams win or lose. Either we block the streets and highways and celebrate standing on our cars blasting Iranian music, or we complain for an entire week about how bad the team played, how unlucky they were, how bad the refs were.”