Photographing the creative ways women in sport have been affected by the pandemic professionally and personally, Maryam takes us to her home town to discover the lives and tell their stories.
The Fight with an Unknown Opponent By Maryam Majd
Iranian women’s sports photographer, Maryam Majd, creates a storytelling series into the lives of professional athletes during the lockdown from her home country. Making their homes and cityscapes their own space, these women have initiated a rediscovery of their metropolises in the battle against an invisible opponent.
With beautiful photography and an inspiring message, this series aids us in remembering that its not just the sportspeople and events that make the headlines who are missing out on their careers and passion.
The sudden changes across the world in the face of the Coronavirus and its epidemic is a situation that has seriously affected all humans and their activities. Among those dramatically affected, the professional life of athletes has faced new great and important challenges since the beginning of the pandemic in 2020.
Just as it stopped the most important sporting event in the world, the Olympics, all professional sports around the world were too put on pause during their preparations and training.
In conversations with a number of athletes, I came to the conclusion that this is not the only challenge and finding a solution in this situation was of high priority. They are now in a constant battle, having to fight an invisible opponent, a fight in which the common opponent is Covid-19!
They do not give up training in order to boost their morale and not to lose the efforts they have made over the years to stay in the championship, especially to emphasize their sports identity, although they face limitations with the closure of the fields and gyms.
The situation of women’s sports and their problems in Iran is clear. Although this pandemic also presents an opportunity to rectify these inequities. Female athletes, whether they are national players, national coaches, or even famous and Olympic athletes, are no exception to this rule. The national camps are closed, the professional players are without a coach, the program set by the sports federations has not been written for them, and most importantly, it is a safe place to train!
All of these reasons, or perhaps part of them, has resulted in the new surge of creative solutions from sportswomen in order for them to maintain their professional position and cope with social isolation at the same time. With the safest place being their homes or space out of reach of the public, these athletes have taken to rooftops, their homes and deserted beaches to train. Making their homes and cities their very own stadiums, studios and sports centers.
Photo: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam MajdPhoto: Maryam Majd
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Maryam Majd is a women’s sports photographer based in Iran. See all her series with us at IMAGO or via her Instagram page.