{"id":6448,"date":"2025-04-15T17:10:34","date_gmt":"2025-04-16T00:10:34","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/?p=6448"},"modified":"2025-05-19T18:41:47","modified_gmt":"2025-05-20T01:41:47","slug":"breaking-the-ice-how-azam-sanaei-is-writing-the-story-of-womens-ice-hockey-in-the-islamic-republic-of-iran","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/?p=6448","title":{"rendered":"Azam Sanaei is writing the story of women\u2019s ice hockey in Iran"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"\"
Picture by Azam Sanaei\/IIHF<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

In the shadow of the Alborz Mountains lies one of Tehran\u2019s busiest malls. And between designer storefronts and fast food kiosks sits IceBox, one of just six indoor ice hockey rinks in the country. There, young women lace up skates behind glass walls, skating into a world most of their peers never knew existed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Watching them with an unshakable focus is their coach, Azam Sanaei.<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

At 35, Sanaei is the head coach of the Islamic Republic of Iran\u2019s women\u2019s national team and the first woman ever inducted into the nation\u2019s ice hockey Hall of Fame. Hanging up her skates in 2024, she has turned her focus to building something few imagined possible: carving out space for women\u2019s ice hockey in the Islamic Republic of Iran.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI feel so much happiness when I\u2019m at the ice rink,\u201d the head coach told the International Ice Hockey Federation (IIHF). \u201cI really hope that a lot of girls in Iran can experience this sport, and that they understand that they can break the stereotypes. They need to know that sport, especially ice hockey, is not just for men, and we can do anything we want.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Building that belief was no easy task. Olympics.com takes you through the story of how Sanaei broke the ice and changed the game.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/a><\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_8755\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Picture by Azam Sanaei\/IIHF<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Silver and gold: Azam Sanaei’s historic runs to the top<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Sanaei didn\u2019t grow up skating on frozen ponds or competing in arenas. She began on inline skates at 14, long before ice hockey was even an option. That all changed in 2019 when the Islamic Republic of Iran joined world governing body, the IIHF, opening the door for women like Sanaei to take their passion to the ice.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Over the next five years, she helped build a team from the ground up, training, competing, and leading by example.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The women\u2019s team first sent shockwaves through the region in 2023, when they stunned the ice hockey world with a silver medal at the IIHF Women\u2019s Asia and Oceania Championships<\/strong> in Thailand. \u201cNobody was expecting such a great outcome, so everyone was quite shocked and surprised,\u201d Sanaei said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

By 2024, the impossible had become inevitable. With Thailand, the champions, competing in another division, Iran arrived at the IIHF Women\u2019s Asia and Oceania Cup in Bishkek, Kyrgyzstan, as the team to beat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Wearing the captain\u2019s \u2018C\u2019 for what would become her final tournament as a player, Sanaei led her squad through a flawless campaign. They defeated the United Arab Emirates 16\u20130, host nation Kyrgyzstan 6\u20130, India 10\u20130, and the Philippines 4\u20130 to capture a historic gold medal.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cAll our competitors had much more experience in ice hockey than us,\u201d Sanaei told Al Jazeera. \u201cOur achievement can help all of Iran\u2019s women to know that there is nothing that can stop them<\/strong> and, even with all the barriers in front of them, if they try, they will make it to wherever they want,\u201d she added.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Just a few years earlier, the idea of a women\u2019s national ice hockey team had been unthinkable. One year earlier, a silver medal had felt like a miracle. Now, gold around their necks, the Islamic Republic of Iran\u2019s women\u2019s ice hockey team had truly made history.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

For Sanaei, the win was both a crowning moment as a player and the beginning of a bold new chapter as a full-time coach. These events were historic in more ways than one. For the first time, the team\u2019s matches were broadcast live on Iranian national television<\/strong>, offering unprecedented visibility for both the sport, and women\u2019s sport more broadly.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cIt was such a huge step to have our games shown live on television<\/strong>,\u201d said Sanaei. \u201cIt really means a lot. We hope that this continues and will have a positive effect on this sport.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With the nation watching and young girls seeing themselves reflected on the ice for the very first time, the impact of that gold medal reached far and wide.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"IMG_8650\"\/<\/figure>\n\n\n\n

Picture by Azam Sanaei\/IIHF<\/sub><\/p>\n\n\n\n

<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A skating sisterhood: \u201cI really want the world to see what we\u2019re capable of.\u201d<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Now coaching at Tehran\u2019s aptly named IceBox, a rink tucked inside the sprawling Iran Mall, Sanaei juggles national team responsibilities, club matches, and her role as a personal trainer. She\u2019s also mentoring a growing cohort of female coaches, many of whom are former teammates.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cI hope these connections help to put Iran on the map in the global hockey community,\u201d she says. \u201cWe have a lot of talented girls here, and I really want the world to see what we\u2019re capable of.\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n

The numbers back her up: according to the latest IIHF data, the Islamic Republic of Iran has 396 registered female players<\/strong>, more than four times the number of male players (98) currently active in the country.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cShe\u2019s been very effective in spurring the rapid growth and development of women\u2019s hockey in comparison with men\u2019s hockey in Iran,\u201d said Kaveh Sedghi, President of the Iranian Ice Hockey Association. \u201cUnder her leadership, hockey has gained significant visibility.<\/strong>\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This spring, Sanaei joined the IIHF\u2019s new HER Coaching Network, a global initiative to connect women coaches through mentorship and community. The programme was officially launched during the 2025 IIHF Women\u2019s World Championship taking place 9-20 April. Sanaei is already seeing its impact, as the HER network is helping her dream bigger and connect with coaches she admires.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u201cWhat excites me the most is being part of a community,\u201d she said. \u201cIt\u2019s all about women, connecting with other coaches and athletes who have the same passion and seeing how we can learn from one another.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

She\u2019s especially inspired by trailblazers like Jessica Campbell<\/strong>, a Canadian-born coach making waves as an NHL assistant with the Seattle Kraken: \u201cI really admire her. She is such a trailblazer and has done a lot of incredible things as one of the first female coaches in professional men\u2019s hockey.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Sanaei may have swapped her captain\u2019s jersey for a whistle, but she still commands the rink. There are challenges, of course: limited resources, scarce rink time, cultural roadblocks. But Sanaei isn\u2019t skating alone.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

With a growing team of coaches, a supportive federation, and global allies through the HER network, the ice beneath her feet feels just solid enough.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

In the shadow of the Alborz Mountains lies one of Tehran\u2019s busiest malls. And between designer storefronts and fast food kiosks sits IceBox, one of just six indoor ice hockey rinks in<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":7610,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_price":"","_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_header":"","_tribe_default_ticket_provider":"","_tribe_ticket_capacity":"0","_ticket_start_date":"","_ticket_end_date":"","_tribe_ticket_show_description":"","_tribe_ticket_show_not_going":false,"_tribe_ticket_use_global_stock":"","_tribe_ticket_global_stock_level":"","_global_stock_mode":"","_global_stock_cap":"","_tribe_rsvp_for_event":"","_tribe_ticket_going_count":"","_tribe_ticket_not_going_count":"","_tribe_tickets_list":"[]","_tribe_ticket_has_attendee_info_fields":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[6],"tags":[124],"class_list":["post-6448","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-sports","tag-featured-small"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6448","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=6448"}],"version-history":[{"count":10,"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6448\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":7609,"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/6448\/revisions\/7609"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/7610"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=6448"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=6448"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/iranreport.org\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=6448"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}