TEHRAN – Iran’s national wheelchair basketball team are determined to begin their campaign at the Nagoya Asian Para Games with a strong performance against Iraq, according to team coach Mohammadreza Dastyar.
Iran have been drawn in Group B alongside Iraq, South Korea and the Philippines. The Iranian team will face Iraq in its opening match on Friday at Aichi International Arena in Nagoya, Japan. Iran will then take on South Korea on Saturday before meeting the Philippines on Monday.
Dastyar highlighted the challenges the team faced during their journey to Japan, explaining that the lengthy trip had affected the players’ physical condition.
“We held our first training session in Nagoya on Wednesday. However, we had a 60-hour journey to Japan, which had a considerable negative impact on the players’ physical readiness,” he said.
The team travelled from Tehran to Istanbul, then continued to Manila before finally arriving in Nagoya. The demanding itinerary kept the players on the road for approximately three days, leaving some of them experiencing muscle stiffness and fatigue.
Despite these difficulties, Dastyar stressed that the team were focused on preparing for their opening match against Iraq.
“Fortunately, despite the problems we experienced during the journey, we held an energetic training session. We reviewed our tactical plans and worked on preparing the players for the first game. Our aim is to make a strong start to the competition,” he told Tehran Times correspondent’s Masoud Hossein.
The coach also referred to Iran’s absence from the recent Wheelchair Basketball World Championships in Ottawa, Canada. The Iranian team missed the tournament after visas were not issued to some members of its coaching staff.
According to Dastyar, missing the World Championships had a negative psychological impact on the players. However, a period of rest helped them recover mentally and move forward.
“That experience affected the players’ morale, but fortunately, they were able to recover mentally during their break and put the disappointment behind them. We now have a new challenge ahead, and our entire focus is on achieving the best possible results in Nagoya,” he said.
Iran will need to perform consistently throughout the group stage before facing a playoff match, with the ultimate objective of reaching the semifinals.
Dastyar expressed hope that his team would successfully navigate the demanding schedule and defend Iran’s reputation in wheelchair basketball.
Iran have an impressive record at previous editions of the Asian Para Games, having won one silver medal and secured two third-place finishes across the last four editions. The team now hopes to build on that record in Nagoya, overcome the challenges of their long journey and launch their campaign with a victory over Iraq.
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