Shooter Sidhu Withdraws From Iran Event, Refuses to Wear Hijab

Heena Sidhu withdraws from the Asian Airgun Shooting Championships to be held in Iran in December.

Heena Sidhu. (Photo: PTI)

The defending champion Heena Sidhu has withdrawn from the Asian Airgun Shooting Championships, which will take place in Tehran in December (3-9) due to the dress code for women participants.

Forcing tourists or foreign guests to wear a hijab is not a sporting thing. I don’t like it, so I pulled out. You are practising your religion, let me practise mine. If you are forcing your religious beliefs on me, then I don’t want to compete.

Heena Sidhu

According to the official website of the event, the women athletes have to comply with a dress code in the shooting range and public places in Iran. However, this is not the first time that Sidhu has decided to withdraw from an event in Iran.

I had pulled out similarly (about) two years ago. It’s only Iran which does this.

Heena Sidhu

The shooter had clinched the gold medal in the previous edition of the tournament in New Delhi. Her efforts helped the country to win the team gold in the competition. India won the overall tournament with 17 medals (six golds).

Heena said that the National Rifle Association of India was informed about her decision twenty days back. Harveen Sarao has taken the former world number one’s place in the 10m air pistol team. Ruchita Vinerkar and Sarvesh Tomar are the other two members in the team.

Sidhu added that the Asian meet is not such an important tournament.

Also, it (Asian meet) is not such an important competition. I want to pay attention to my basics and start work on my next four-year cycle. We have the nationals coming up in December in Pune and we are hosting the World Cup (in February). So I’m concentrating more on these tournaments.

Heena Sidhu

The NRAI president Raninder Singh said that India has good ties with the Iranian shooting federation.

We have good ties with the Iranian shooting federation and we respect their culture and tradition. Whoever goes to Iran – tourists or diplomats – wears the hijab. Except Heena, all other Indian women shooters have accepted it.

Raninder Singh