MNA � President Hassan Rouhani had hailed sports as a parameter of national glory especially in international competitions.

Rouhani addressed a ceremony to honor the 2016 Rio Olympics and Paralympics; �sports belongs to no particular individual, ethnicity or religion, and all Iranians are affected equally by wins by Iranians in the field,� Rouhani noted, adding that his government�deemed sports as a national issue.

A nation, Rouhani underlined, �needs movement for progress and a �basket of hope;� It�is a part of basket of hope when your art, movies, music and sports shine at the global and regional level."

He also pointed to the improvements in women�s presence in the international scenes and scoring sports success; �Iranian women have made remarkable achievements in various fields of sports in international and domestic events, that is, women's sports have found the right route to achieving more successes.�

Rouhani underlined that the women athletes had been both promoters of Iranian culture and of national power and capability in sports, adding that Islam is a religion that brings together the men and women.

�Unity comes along with sports, and it is a source of national pride and national unity for us,� Rouhani said. �Our economy is associated with sports; part of our sports is sports economy; it can bring sports tourism; it can fight with Iranophobia and create dialogue and interaction with the world.�

On the issuance of visas for US freestyle wrestlers to join World Cup in Kermanshah, despite Washington�s ban on travelers from seven Muslim-majority nations, including Iranians, Rouhani said �you humiliated the US; they were received warmly in Iran; the world will admire Iranians� hospitality and magnanimity.�

No less important was Rouhani�s allusions to restrictions on women voiced by the specific conservative circles; �women should not be limited to their homes; you see that our girls in the Olympics and other events perform excellently and win medals along with upholding their Islamic identity and culture; the number of women athletes who cheered the population would be many and they should receive their deserving attention and recognition; in sports, our athletes usually observe the religious ceremonies and the lamentation that sports would defile our religious piety is a myth since during sports events, the rituals are observed to the full,� he emphasized.