Hossein Heyriani was elected as the new president of the Iranian Figure Skating Federation following elections held at the federation's executive meeting on Wednesday.
Initially, four candidates were approved to participate in the presidential election: Maryam Bahshi, Hossein Heyriani, Sadegh Zohairi Nasab, and Mohammad Adam Khorasani. However, Zohairi Nasab and Adam Khorasani withdrew their candidacies before the vote, leaving Heyriani and Bahshi in competition.
After both contenders presented their programs to the assembly, the voting began. In the first round, Heyriani received 25 votes, while Bahshi garnered 24 votes out of 49 ballots cast, which necessitated a second round of elections.
Heyriani won the second round, receiving 26 votes against 23 for Bahshi, thereby securing the position of president of the Iranian Figure Skating Federation for a four-year term. This narrow victory marks the beginning of a new era for figure skating in Iran, as Heyriani takes charge of the federation ahead of the next Olympic cycle and major international competitions.
The St. Gallen coach expressed praise for the new Benfica coach.
The Lusitanian Center of Zurich is an association whose role is to bring together the Portuguese community residing in Switzerland.
RTP contacted Portuguese members associated with the Lusitanian Center of Zurich, in the context of Benfica games that will take place in Switzerland this Thursday.
The 2026 FIFA World Cup, despite its unforgettable football events, was accompanied by a number of contradictions. These discussions covered referee decisions, political interference, and logistical problems, sparking heated debates worldwide. Below are five of the most discussed topics of the tournament.
The most significant scandal was the call from US President Donald Trump demanding the reversal of a player's red card. This incident attracted enormous attention to the tournament.
Another major controversial point arose after Egypt's 3-2 loss to Argentina. After reviewing the goal with VAR, the Egyptian team's goal was disallowed, and they were subsequently denied a penalty before Argentina's decisive goal. The Egyptian coach publicly criticized the refereeing, and the country's football association filed an official complaint. Fans began using the phrase 'VARgentina,' accusing officials of bias in favor of the reigning champions.
FIFA also faced widespread criticism regarding ticket prices. Due to dynamic pricing, match attendance reached record highs: some group stage tickets approached $1000, while final match tickets reportedly reached $11,000. Television broadcasts showed noticeably empty sections at several stadiums, which FIFA explained was because many fans were in the foyer, leading to ridicule.
Additional issues outside the field arose related to travel restrictions. It was reported that visas were revoked for fans from several countries before their trip, and Somali referee Omar Aryan was barred from working. The Senegalese national team underwent thorough screening at the airport, and Iran was forced to base itself in Mexico and fly to the United States only on match days.
The fifth major controversial issue concerned the strict interpretation of offside by the VAR system. Iran lost a historic chance to qualify for the playoffs due to a late goal that was disallowed by the narrowest margin. Furthermore, Iranian players expressed dissatisfaction with the difficulties associated with the travel schedule compared to other teams, which had more relaxed conditions. Iranian players were also subjected to political questioning rather than being discussed for their football.
