 | This article needs additional citations for verification .(August 2011) |
There are a wide variety of sports played and followed in Iraq. Football is the most popular sport and hobby in Iraq. Football is a considerable uniting factor, following years of war and unrest. Basketball, swimming, weightlifting, bodybuilding, taekwondo, boxing, kickboxing, and tennis are also popular sports and hobbies.
Sport was only recently popular in Iraq and this was the case due to the Baath regime, which assumed power in 1968. It was primarily focused on establishing its authority by forcing society to adopt its ideology and sports did not reflect this radical orientation. [1] In the latter part of the 1970s, however, sports began to attract attention. Due to an increasing wealth brought in by the uptick in oil prices, sports facilities have been built in different parts of the country. Particularly, football flourished after domestic football was launched and the country also hosted international competitions, drawing the participation of international football clubs. The popularity of the sport did not dampen the Iraqi enthusiasm even during the outbreak of the Iran-Iraq War in the 1980s when young Iraqis had to serve the armed forces. [1] The field of sports did suffer during Saddam Hussein's regime, when many athletes fled the country due to reports of abuse and torture, particularly by his son, Uday Hussein.
Recent developments in the sports field have been positive for Iraq especially football and basketball. These attract strong following, with fans crowding stadiums in cities like Baghdad. [1]
Football is the most popular sport in Iraq. Today, it is not uncommon to find many Iraqi villages having their own football teams. [2] The Iraq national football team were the 2007 AFC Asian Cup champions after defeating Saudi Arabia in the final, held in Jakarta, Indonesia. In 2006, Iraq reached the football final of the 2006 Asian Games in Doha, Qatar, after defeating South Korea and eventually finished as runners-up, winning silver. The football tournament at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, saw Iraq finish in fourth place, with Italy claiming bronze from a single goal.
The Iraq Football Association is the governing body of football in Iraq, controlling the Iraq national football team and the Iraq Stars League. It was founded in 1948, and has been a member of FIFA since 1950, and the Asian Football Confederation since 1971. [3]
Some of Iraq's top clubs include Al-Shorta, Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Zawraa, Erbil SC, Duhok SC, Al Talaba and Najaf FC. While most athletes in Iraq are men, the country has already opened to female playing soccer, basketball, and volleyball. Recently, for instance, Iraq fielded its first national women's soccer team. [4]
Basketball is a popular sport in Iraq. There are at least two leagues, the Iraq Basketball Association, the country's professional organization, runs a number of adult and youth leagues, and the Iraqi Premier League, for elite players. [5]
Iraq has a world-champion kickboxer in Riyadh Al-Azzawi.
Iraqi professional wrestler Adnan Al-Kaissie is known as General Adnan.
Al-Shaab International Stadium is an all-seater multi-purpose stadium in Baghdad, Iraq. The 35,700-seater was the home stadium of the Iraq national football team, as well as the largest stadium in Iraq, from its opening on 6 November 1966 until the Basra International Stadium was opened in 2013. It is owned by the government of Iraq.
The Iraq Stars League, is the highest level of the Iraqi football league system. Contested by 20 clubs, it operates on a system of promotion and relegation with the Iraqi Premier Division League. It is governed by the Iraqi Pro League Association.
Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya is an Iraqi sports club based in Rusafa District, Baghdad that competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top-flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 1931, it is the oldest existing club in Iraq.
Nashat Akram Abid Ali Al-Eissa is an Iraqi former professional footballer. Popularly dubbed "The Maestro", he usually played as a playmaker or as an attacking midfielder and was known for his exceptional vision and excellent passing ability, as well as his ability to score goals from long range.
Al-Talaba Sports Club is an Iraqi professional sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. Its football team competes in the Iraq Stars League, the top flight of Iraqi football. Founded in 1969, the club was named Al-Jamiea but became known as Al-Talaba ahead of the 1978–79 season after being merged with a new club of the same name. Their home stadium is Al-Talaba Stadium.
Al-Shorta Sports Club is an Iraqi sports club based in Al-Rusafa, Baghdad. It has teams in 18 different sports, and the best known section of the club is the football team, whose origins date back to 1932. Al-Shorta was formally established as a sports club in 1978 after a clubs-only policy was introduced to Iraqi football.
Amjad Kalaf Mansour Al-Muntafiq is an Iraqi former professional footballer who played as a right winger and sometimes as a striker.
Ayoub Odisho Barjam is an Iraqi-Assyrian football manager and former player who currently manages Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya in the Iraqi Premier League.
Adnan Dirjal is an Iraqi former footballer, national team coach, and as of May 2020 heads the Iraqi Ministry of Youth and Sports. He was one of Iraq's most prominent national team captains, who played as a defender.
Dhurgham Ismail Dawoud Al-Quraishi, known as Dhurgham Ismail, is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a left back or left winger for Bahraini Premier League club Al-Khaldiya and for the Iraqi national team.
Marwan Hussein is an Iraqi professional footballer as a centre forward, who plays for Al-Talaba in the Iraqi Premier League and the Iraq national team.
Sherko Karim Lateef Gubari is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a forward for Iraq Stars League club Erbil SC.
Al-Rasheed Sports Club was an Iraqi sports club based in Karkh, Baghdad. Its professional football team played in what is now known as the Iraq Stars League, the top tier of the Iraqi football, from 1984 until 1990. The club's home stadium was Al-Rasheed Stadium.
Soccer Iraq is an English-based Iraqi website and social media agency providing a variety of news, statistics and services for Iraqi football, ranging from coverage on the Iraq national football team and its players to news on the Iraq Stars League.
Mohanad Ali Kadhim Al-Shammari, commonly known in Iraq as Mimi, is an Iraqi professional footballer who plays as a forward for Iraqi club Al-Shorta and the Iraq national team. He is known for his positioning, shooting, heading, close ball control and dribbling.
The Baghdad derbies are a series of derby matches between four Baghdad-based football clubs: Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya, Al-Shorta, Al-Talaba and Al-Zawraa, collectively known as the 'Popular Teams'. They are the four most successful teams in the history of Iraqi football, and league games between the clubs are played at the neutral venue of Al-Shaab Stadium to accommodate more spectators. The match between Al-Quwa Al-Jawiya and Al-Zawraa is often referred to as the Iraqi El Clásico.
Aliyat Al-Shorta Sport Club is an Iraqi sports club based in Baghdad. Its football team plays in the Iraqi First Division League, the third tier of Iraqi football.
Women's sport in Iraq has a long history, with many sports being played. Football (soccer) is among the most popular sport and hobby in Iraq. Many also participate in, but are not limited to, basketball, volleyball, tennis, taekwondo, and weightlifting. It is often seen as taboo when women involve in sports and other recreations as it is seen as inappropriate by the large conservative culture, yet in the Kurdistan region as well as the more urban cities of Iraq, such as Baghdad or Basra, society has become more accepting and supportive over time. Women are encouraged to dress and behave modestly, so the involvement of women in sports and the wearing of sports uniforms have been widely seen as taboo. Even with the growing support of women in sports, societal expectations still lead many women to play in secret or avoid sports altogether, which makes it harder for women to get involved in professional sports. Iraq was, at one point, a hub for athletics in the Middle East, but during Saddam Hussein's reign, involvement in sports declined. Sports in Iraq have faced many challenges over the past years, and only recently have sports committees and athletes, both men and women alike, begun to rebuild teams and strengthen involvement. Even then, the Ministry of Youth and Sports are often responsible for sponsoring sports teams and athletes, but they often lack the financial means to fully support them. The country's unstable history of dictatorship and war, as well as the growing trend of conservatism, have been recognized as reasons for weak, lacking, and in some cases nonactive and even nonexistent women's sports teams.
Al-Shorta SC Basketball is a professional basketball team based in Baghdad, Iraq. It is a part of the Al-Shorta SC multi-sports club, whose origins date back to 1932. The team has won three Iraqi Basketball Premier League titles, most recently in the 2014–15 season, and has won one Iraqi Basketball Perseverance Cup title.
| Sovereign states |
|
|---|---|
| States with limited recognition | |
| Dependencies and other territories | |
