ABSTRACT
Iran is considered to have a mixed economy that relies heavily on petroleum export revenues. Sport is considered as a secondary category in the economy of Iran, while it is one of the main economic, political and social issues in developed countries. Regarding government investment in public and professional sports, from 1979 to 1989, sport was not in the planning priorities of the country due to the Islamic Revolution and the Iran–Iraq war. In 1979, the Islamic government took control of every sport club. All clubs were forced to change their names to reflect an association with the armed services, the security forces, government departments or the trade unions. The Government of Iran is the main supplier of resources needed in the sports sector; what’s missing here is a competitive climate. Budget and resource allocation in the sports sector in Iran has been acknowledged as an inefficient process; budget allocation by the Sports Ministry was inefficient among the provinces. Iranian clubs function on government budget, and do not have a high revenue ability. Based on the Constitution, Iranian Television and Radio is exclusively controlled by public government administration. In this situation and in the absence of private owned broadcasts, broadcasting rights have been denied by public television, reasoning that sport is a public good and IRIB1 doesn't charge. This chapter focuses on the growing share of sports in the Iranian economy in recent years and the many potentials for the growth and development of this industry.
