TEHRAN – Mahmoud Khosravai Vafa, President of Iran’s National Olympic Committee (NOC), held a meeting with Jean-Christophe Rolland, head of the World Rowing Federation, in Lausanne, Switzerland on Tuesday.

Accompanied by NOC General Secretary Mehdi Alinejhad, Khosravi Vafa said that rowing in Iran has long been part of the National Federation of Aquatics, but recently, under the leadership of Mohsen Shadi—one of Iran’s rowing champions—the sport has begun functioning as its own federation.

Rolland also spoke about his friendly relationship with Ahmad Donyamali, Minister of Sports, stating that the move toward autonomy for rowing and its transformation into a federation was the correct decision, and that the next steps after elections should align the federation’s policy with international laws and sovereignty principles.