The girls from Iran and Qatar who want to be known more for their game, not attire

Aia Mohamed (left) and Neda Shahsavari have been regulars on the TT circuit.

The Chinese finally left the practice tables, a day before the Asian Cup Table Tennis event, after putting on a show of tireless rallying and menacing smashing. The likes of world no 2 in men’s singles Fan Zhendong and numbers three and four in women’s singles, Zhu Yuling and Liu Shiwen respectively, make up the ranks for the oriental giants. Taking their place on the practice tables was a pair that belongs to the other end of the spectrum – Iranian Neda Shahsavari (ranked 297) and Qatar’s Aia Mohamed (616).
However, both are acclaimed athletes in their respective countries. After all, they have been path-breakers for the sport at home. At the 2012 London Olympic Games, Neda became the first and only Iranian woman to compete in the sport at the marquee event, and featured at Rio 2016 as well. Meanwhile, Aia was a mere 17-year-old and the youngest Qatari to qualify for London.

“In Iran, even people who don’t know table tennis much know of Neda because of that achievement,” says head coach Jamil Lotfallahnasabi. “It was a big thing in Iran when she qualified for both the Olympics, and if you mention that you are somehow associated with table tennis, people will ask, ‘do you know Neda?’” Aia, meanwhile, became a recognisable face after her spell in London. “I was at a supermarket and a man came up to me and told me that I looked familiar and asked if I was at the Olympics,” recalls the 23-year-old. “Then he asked to take a photograph with me and left. I wasn’t used to it then, but it happens often now.”

In India too, the pair gets recognised, yet more for their attire than for their exploits on tour. At the TransStadia Arena in Ahmedabad, the pair starts sparring against each other on table one. A crowd steadily gathers to watch. Yet there isn’t much interest for the slicing or chopping, or any other fancy manoeuvres they might throw up. Instead, the attention comes more from them being the only two players wearing hijabs. “That’s always what gets us attention when we play abroad, and the questions are always based on it,” says 31-year-old Neda, who last year helped Iran win the third division World Table Tennis Team Championship title.

Both began playing the sport while keeping their head and arms covered, and ensuring that their hijab is intact has become a practice incorporated in their pre-match routine. “Honestly, it does get a bit hot, but I’ve been playing with it all my life. So it really doesn’t bother me,” says Aia. “What is actually a concern for me is getting my ranking higher.” There is a will to achieve more in the sport and be recognisable for it, rather than be the unique faces in the crowd when they travel abroad. But at home, their status is already celebrity. At 23, Aia is the best ranked women’s player from her country, and her qualification to London – as the youngest member in the Qatar contingent – made her the most promising talent at home.

Neda meanwhile is the bigger name in Central Asia. She laughs when asked if she is looking towards Tokyo 2020 – her third Olympics. “Right now the target is to play more and get better,” she replies. Both Neda and Aia are a part of the qualification group at the Asian Cup, along with India’s Manika Batra and Suthasini Sawettabut of Thailand. Reaching the quarterfinals results in a direct spot at next month’s World Cup. For now though, the targets are a bit more humble. “Iran’s in the second division right now. We need to make sure we don’t go down,” Neda says.