 In December 2007 the vice president of the Iranian Olympic Committee, Abdolreza Savar, issued a memorandum to all sporting federations about the "proper behavior of male and female athletes" and that "severe punishment will be meted out to those who do not follow Islamic rules during sporting competitions" both local and abroad.Men are not allowed to train or coach women.Iran's female volleyball team was once considered the best in Asia, but due to the lack of female coaches it has been prevented from international competition.