Azimi: Qom Must Not Fall Victim to Incomplete Narratives Surrounding a Sports Match

Qom – The mayor of Qom, criticizing the coverage of recent sports competition controversies, said: Publishing incomplete images and narratives about an event must not pave the way for Qom-phobia or damage the city's reputation.

According to Mehr reporter, Faramarz Azimi said before noon on Monday in the meeting of the Islamic Council of Qom city, referring to the issues surrounding the holding of sports competitions in this city: In examining this issue, different aspects of the story should be taken into account and a distinction should be made between the responsibilities of the city administration and other custodian institutions.

Emphasizing the need to provide clear answers to the questions raised, he added: From the beginning of my responsibility, I have adhered to the issue of sharing the facts with the people and the authorities openly, and I will answer all the questions raised in this case as well.

Referring to the city administration's support for various sports, the mayor of Qom said: On the days when muay thai competitions were held in the city, sports such as women's shooting, futsal, taekwondo and karate were also holding competitions and implementing sports programs, and the city management complex supported these activities.

Azimi continued: The question is why, among the many sports events that are held with the support of the city administration, criticism has been focused on only one sport.

Referring to the responsibility of the city management in providing services to the citizens and guests of Qom, he said: The city management has the duty to serve all citizens with different views and beliefs within the framework of its responsibilities, and it also has duties towards the guests who travel to this city.

We should not damage the credibility of hosting Qom

Emphasizing the necessity of maintaining the position of this city in hosting various events, the mayor of Qom stated: Qom has always hosted people and pilgrims on national and religious occasions, and we should not allow the limited margins to become a factor to ignore the hosting capacity of this city.

Referring to the large attendance of people in ceremonies related to the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution and the activity of the processions in this city, Azimi noted: As the field of attendance and service has been provided on various occasions, we must also protect Qom's hosting capacity and not allow the issues that have arisen to lead to a distorted image of the city.

Criticizing the formation of a negative atmosphere around Qom following the publication of some images related to sports competitions, he added: "Unfortunately, during the past week, a large part of the city's public space has been affected by an issue that does not all relate to urban management, and it is necessary to clearly define the responsibility of each department."

Referring to the process of holding the competitions, the mayor of Qom said: According to the explanations, the finals of the competitions were supposed to be held in about three hours, and the men's competitions were to be held one day late, unfortunately, the event was canceled.

Referring to the publication of pictures of some women inside the bus, Azimi said: I accept the responsibility of this department due to the activity of the bus company under the municipality and I apologize for what happened.

In another part of his speech, the mayor of Qom stated about the costs incurred for the competitions: part of the costs were in the area of ​​transportation of athletes and the use of sports facilities, and the city administration has taken measures to support sports in the province.

Emphasizing that all expenses related to this event cannot be ruled out, Azimi added: contrary to some of the issues raised, some expenses have been incurred, and I have no consideration in stating the facts except for transparency, and what has been done in this regard should be clearly explained to the council members.

Referring to the issue of the medals of the competitions, he said: It was also announced about the medals that if the municipality emblem is included, the city management is ready to accept its cost, and the municipality has not paid any fees for the accommodation and meals of the athletes.

The mayor of Qom continued: The city administration had a zero to one hundred tendency to undertake the organization of this event, but due to the considerations and conditions foreseen, this event did not take place in the desired manner, and a part of the accommodation and catering costs were taken over by the Ministry of Sports.

Emphasizing the necessity of separating the tasks of the units, Azimi stated: In the examination of the costs, it should be clear what responsibility each unit had and what actions it took, and the accountability for the different parts of this event should be proportionate to the responsibility of each unit.

The mayor of Qom emphasized the necessity of continuing to support sports activities and stated: I request the members of the Islamic Council of the city to support the holding of these competitions so that the competitions are held in Qom and the prestige of the city is not lost due to the created margins.

Azimi added: "We should not allow a few incidents or the publication of some pictures to provide grounds for abandoning the sports capacities of the city, and it is necessary to provide the conditions for the continuation of sports activities and the hosting of Qom by carefully examining the issues."

Referring to the role of virtual space in reflecting recent events, he pointed out: We should not allow virtual space to become a platform for the formation of narratives that affect the image of the city without examining all aspects of the story, and a ground must be provided so that the citizens of Qom can continue their activities in a suitable environment.

The mayor of Qom also called for attention to the way of publishing materials and images related to this event and said: it is necessary to examine the various aspects of the events and, in addition to demanding accountability from the officials, to avoid hasty judgments about the set of sports activities and the city's capacities.

Criticizing the manner in which some questions were raised in the public meetings of the city's Islamic Council, the mayor of Qom said: "It would have been better to contact the city administration before raising the issue in the public meeting, and receive explanations from the city administration about the details of the incident, so that the issues can be followed through dialogue and expert investigation."

Referring to the supervisory duty of the Islamic City Council, Azimi added: The city council must supervise the performance of urban management and the municipality is also responsible for the actions and expenses related to its area of ​​responsibility, but at the same time, it is necessary to examine the issues that are outside the direct responsibility of the municipality with a detailed separation of duties.

In another part of his speech, the mayor of Qom pointed to an example of the activities of athletes in this field and said: Ferishte Hassanzadeh, who was recognized as the country's national champion last year, presented his sports medal to the martyred leader of the Islamic Revolution, and a gift was also given to him by the martyred leader.

Azimi added: At the same time as the ceremony was held, this athlete presented his gift to the family of Martyr Major General Seyyed Abdul Rahim Mousavi, and seeing this event was touching for me, because it is necessary to judge athletes and their activities with more accurate knowledge.

In the end, emphasizing the religious and cultural status of Qom and the necessity of protecting the reputation of this city, he said: The city administration is ready to take the necessary measures under the supervision of the members of the Islamic Council of the city to investigate the issues and prepare the ground for holding the competitions.