Iranian ref Baqeri to make taekwondo history in Paris
Ma’soumeh Baqeri will make history when the taekwondo event of the Paris Olympics get underway on Wednesday as she will be the first Iranian female referee of the sport to ever officiate in the Games.
Baqeri, who holds a master’s degree in biochemistry, was picked for the sporting extravaganza by the international taekwondo governing body following consistent appearances in major global tournaments, including last year’s WT Grand Slam Champions Series in Wuxi, China, where she was named as the Best Referee.
Baqeri will be among a group of 26 refs (13 men and 13 women) in Paris.
Her fellow-Iranian female referee Marjan Taymouri has also been selected for the taekwondo competitions of the upcoming Paralympic Games – starting August 29 in the French capital’s Grand Palais.
Iran will be represented by four athletes in the taekwondo contests of Olympics.
A gold medalist in last year’s World Championships, Nahid Kiani will be looking to become only the second Iranian girl to claim a medal in the 128-year history of the Games – following Rio 2016 bronze medalist Kimia Alizadeh – when taking part in Thursday’s -57kg event, while Mobina Ne’matzadeh (women’s -49kg), Mehran Barkhrodari (men’s -80kg), and Arian Salimi (men’s 80kg) will also fancy their chances of Olympic glory.