On Saturday August 23, 2014, Haft-e Sobh, a Tehran-based daily that primarily focuses on social, cultural, urban and economic news reported that the so-called Ice Bucket Challenge, a phenomenon that helps spread awareness about ALS (Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, a disease of the nerve cells in the brain and spinal cord that control voluntary muscle movement) has found its way into Iran. Here is an excerpt of the report by the newspaper:
A video by Ali Karimi [a very well-known Iranian soccer player who has just hung up his boots] has appeared on his Instagram page in which he dumps a bucket of ice water on his head and challenges Ali Daei [a fellow former soccer player], Reza Attaran [an actor], and Maziyar Fallahi [a musician and a close friend of his] to follow suit.
Of course, Karimi does not make any mention of the reason behind the stunt: promote awareness of ALS, which is also known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, and encourage donations to research. It is also unclear whether Karimi has simply opted to get the chill or has actually donated money to the research or not. […]
