U.S. sends women’s badminton team to Iran

In what may be referred to as badminton diplomacy, the Obama administration is sending a women’s badminton team to Iran this week as part of a broad bid to engage the Iranian people through educational and cultural exchanges.

The 12-member team — four coaches and eight female players including 2008 U.S. Olympians Eva Lee (Orange, Calif.) and Mesinee “May” Mangkalakiri (Garden Grove, Calif.) will travel to Tehran, Iran to compete in the Fajr International Badminton Tournament, February 5-8, 2009, at the invitation of the Iranian Badminton Federation, the State Department said in a statement.

It said the U.S. squad was invited by the Iranian Badminton Federation and that they hoped to extend an invitation to Iran’s national team to come to the United States in July. This week’s trip is being sponsored by the State Department, which since 2006 has promoted people-to-people exchanges with Iran.

The United States cut diplomatic ties with Tehran during the 1979-1981 hostage crisis in which a group of militant Iranian students held 52 U.S. diplomats hostage at the U.S. embassy in Tehran for 444 days.

The nations have remained at odds over many issues, including U.S. accusations that Iran is seeking to develop nuclear weapons, but in an effort to pursue greater engagement, the two countries have held sports exchanges in recent years.

More than 250 Iranians, including artists, athletes, and medical professionals, have participated in exchange programs in the United States, the department said.

Previous sports exchanges, which started in Jan. 2007, have included wrestlers and weightlifters as well as basketball, table tennis and water polo players. Since then, the department has sent 32 American athletes to Iran and brought 75 Iranian athletes and coaches to the United States, it said.

The badminton trip is the first to take place under the Obama administration, which is considering new approaches to Iran. Those include direct official dialogue and the appointment of a special envoy to deal with Iran, which has not had diplomatic relations with the U.S. since 1979.

The event is sanctioned by the Badminton World Federation (BWF) and results will count toward each player’s international ranking.

Anyone remember Ping Pong diplomacy?

UPDATE: U.S. Women’s Badminton Team refused visas to enter Iran.

Ouch: Early upset for U.S. Soccer Team in Beijing

August 6, 2008 – Surprising results in the first round of games as women’s soccer got underway two days before the Olympic Games officially open.

Norway scored twice in the first five minutes against the U.S. and won the opening game 2-0; The loss was just the second-ever for the U.S. women in the Olympics, with the only other loss also coming to Norway in the 2000 Olympic Final in Sydney, Australia. A disappointing start for sure.

Japan went 2-0 down but fought back in the last 20 minutes to make it a 2-2 draw against New Zealand; and Germany and Brazil held each other to a 0-0 draw.

Group E:
China 2-1 Sweden
Canada 2-1 Argentina

Group F:
Germany 0-0 Brazil
North Korea 1-0 Nigeria

Group G:
Norway 2-0 US
Japan 2-2 New Zealand

The next matches will be played Saturday August 9th:

Sweden v. Argentina
Nigeria v. Germany
US v. Japan

Canada v. China
Brazil v. North Korea
New Zealand v. Norway

U.S. women’s national soccer team opens ‘08 against Canada

Dec. 31, 2007  - The United States women’s national team opens its 2008 schedule on Jan. 16 against Canada at the Four Nations Tournament in China. The United States, ranked second in the world, also plays Finland on Jan. 18 and China on Jan. 20 in the four-team competition in Foshan, China.

Pia Sundhage will make her coaching debut for the U.S. in the match against Canada.

The United States will be making its ninth trip to China since 1998 and the tournament serves as continuing preparation for the 2008 Olympics, which are in China. The U.S.  has played in the Four Nations seven times, winning six of those tournaments.

Sundhage has called 16 members of the United States’ 2007 World Cup team for a training camp in early January, including recent U.S. Soccer Female Athlete of the Year winner Abby Wambach.

Defenders Kate Markgraf and Heather Mitts, and midfielder Aly Wagner will not train with the team due to injuries. Veteran Kristine Lilly has not decided if she will pursue a spot on the Olympic roster.

Sundhage also invited 11 more players to the training camp, but only 20 will make the roster for the Four Nations Tournament. Among those invited was 2007 U.S. Soccer Young Female Athlete of the Year Lauren Cheney.

The United States starts qualifying for the Olympics on April 2-13 in Mexico.