An Olympic dream forced this Iranian woman to switch sports – what life is like for a female athlete in Iran

Iranian architect and cross-country skier Samaneh Beyrami Baher will line up at the Winter Olympics for the second time in February, having already secured selection as part of a four‑athlete Iranian team for Milan–Cortina 2026. Beyrami, who carried Iran’s flag at the PyeongChang 2018 opening ceremony, is accustomed to the unique constraints faced by female athletes from Iran. She says she must be very careful about her public image: even harmless photos can have consequences if they do not conform to Iran’s strict Islamic dress codes. According to her, the Iranian Ski Federation monitors her social media and is pleased when she appears with her hair tied and in modest clothing.

Originally from Tehran, Beyrami is currently on a three‑week training camp in Kuusamo, Finland (Ruka). She holds a university degree in architecture, lives in Marbella, Spain, and earns her living as a personal trainer; she also teaches roller‑skiing in southern Spain. Before the Olympics, she will complete another training block in northern Italy.

Beyrami says she dreamed of the Olympics since childhood, but that goal was impossible in her first sport—swimming—because Iran does not select female swimmers for the Games due to revealing swimwear. She was among Iran’s top butterfly swimmers before switching to cross‑country skiing, which offered a path to the Olympic stage.

She describes the practical challenges of training in Tehran: it takes about 90 minutes to reach the nearest ski area, while air pollution and chaotic traffic hinder dryland training in the city. In Marbella and elsewhere in Europe, she finds training conditions much better. Despite limited equipment—she arrived in Kuusamo with one classic and one skate ski pair—she has become a veteran of major events, competing in every world‑level championship since 2015 except the Beijing Olympics.

During her stay in Ruka, she even met U.S. star Jessica Diggins while out training. Beyond the personal story, her experience highlights the broader reality for Iranian women in sport: strict cultural expectations, close scrutiny from authorities, and logistical hurdles at home that push many to train abroad in pursuit of their Olympic dreams.