Sport might not solve all the world's problems but just occasionally, it can prompt changes within countries that have ramifications beyond the sports field.

This happened a few days ago in Iran. Last weekend, the country's government announced that it is to overturn a long-standing ban that has prevented women from entering sports stadiums to watch matches which are also attended by men. From next year, female fans will be permitted to attend certain sporting events but will have to sit in assigned areas of the stadiums and will still be forbidden from watching sports which are deemed "too masculine".

Following the revolution in 1979, women were banned from attending men's sports events in Iran and the news that the country is to soften its stance on the issue was somewhat unexpected but is an encouraging move with regard to women's rights in the middle-east.

The Iranian Deputy Sports Minister, Abdolhamid Ahmad, said that women and their families would be allowed to attend most athletic events from next year but sports such as swimming and wresting would still be excluded. He also called for a new atmosphere in stadiums which many Iranians consider too rowdy and "not Islamic enough" for women.

The lifting of the ban came as a welcome move to the activists and protestors who have campaigned for women to be allowed into stadiums. "I am very happy," said Najiyeh Allahdad, a 38-year old activist. "We have done all we could to get our rights back. This should have happened some time ago. It is now clear for me that this government is really trying hard to improve our lives."

This development is significant in light of another decision that was made in Iran recently. Last week, an appeals court dismissed charges against Ghoncheh Ghavami, a British-Iranian woman who was detained in June of last year for attempting to attend a men's volleyball match. She was sentenced to two years in jail and spent five months locked up before being released on bail. The decision of the appeals court means that the charges against Ghavami have been dismissed and she will not return to prison although a travel ban imposed upon her remains in place. In reaction to her detention, the International Volleyball Federation stripped Iran of the under-19 world championships which it was due to host and announced that no more international events would be awarded to the country until the ban on women entering sports stadiums was lifted. In March, Iran lost out to United Arab Emirates for the right to host the 2019 Asia Cup and it is thought that the country's stance on women and sport, coupled with Ghavami's detention, were major factors in Iran seeing the decision going against it. FIFA President, Sepp Blatter, has also called the rule "intolerable". It is never a good thing when Blatter is being allowed to take the moral high ground on any issue.

The election of President Hassan Rouhani in 2013 gave women renewed hope that their calls for increased rights would be heard. He is a supporter of greater personal freedoms and was keen to adjust laws which were seen as outdated as Iran became a more democratic society. The alteration of this particular law is a significant step in allowing women greater freedom in Iran. On hearing news of the decision to change the law Ghavami said: "Although this proposal is likely to be enforced with some limitations in the beginning, fortunately the issue of women demanding to be allowed into stadiums has gained much public support in the country thanks to the efforts of women's rights activists in the past 10 years". She continued: "The new government has supported the ban to be lifted but we want to make sure there will be a guarantee women will be allowed to attend all sporting events in future."

Iran's softening of this law is not the only example of sport playing a part in helping women's rights in countries in the Middle East, though. The London 2012 Olympic Games was called 'the women's Games' for a variety of reasons but one of those was that it was the first Olympic Games in history in which every nation entered both male and female competitors. Prior to the 2012 Olympics, Qatar, Brunei and Saudi Arabia had never sent female athletes to compete yet they all bowed to IOC pressure and sent a female contingent of athletes to the Games, Again, this was a significant step in the search for equality.

Women's rights activists will continue in their fight to gain equality in all aspects of life in Iran and other middle-eastern countries and this law-change proves that their efforts are not going unnoticed. Sport may not always succeed in making life-altering changes but just sometimes, it can make a pretty big difference.