SHIRAZ Manager of the State Department for Women's Sports Affairs announced Monday that sportswomen will compete in 2002 Asian Games in Pusan, South Korea.

Maryam Mousavi added that Iranian sportswomen will clash in five fields including shooting, boating, taekwondo, karate and track-and-field (throwing).

She said female athletes are to take part in 15 different tournaments to be held in various countries in the current year.

Touching upon this year's budget allocated to women's sports department, Mousavi said in defiance of 20 percent increase in budget in comparison with the preceding year's budget, the allotted sum is insufficient.

Currently, 2.5 million sportswomen are active in different teams of the country and seven million women do exercises for health, noted the official.

Iranian sportswomen are playing in all fields and they won top titles in the competitions of Islamic states and world chess event last year, Mousavi added.