TEHRAN – Elahe Pourabdian, a player of Iran’s women’s canoe polo team, expressed confidence that they aim to steal the spotlight at the 2025 World Games.

The women's competition will see New Zealand, Iran, Germany, and China in Group A, while Italy, Spain, Denmark, and the Netherlands are in Group B. The Iranian delegation will participate with over 30 athletes across nine different sports.

“Our group includes teams from Germany, New Zealand, and China. Germany and New Zealand are regarded as two of the top powers in women's canoe polo worldwide, and China, as the hosts nation, will undoubtedly be a formidable opponents. We've been eagerly awaiting an opportunity like this because every athlete involved in canoe polo dreams of competing at this level,” Pourabdian said in an exclusive interview with Tehran Times.

“We are honored to participate in the World Games for the first time, and we will do our best to excel during the competition. We had planned to compete in at least one preparatory tournament before the Games, but the country's circumstances and a 12-day conflict with Israel prevented us from doing so. Nevertheless, our motivation remains strong. Just 10 months ago, we reached the third-place match at the 2024 World Championship and finished fourth. Our motivation for the World Games is just as high,” she added.

“We want to demonstrate that we belong among the top teams in the world. Although we are currently ranked No. 4 globally, we have already proven our capabilities. Next year, with the same ranking, we aim to be the top seed in the World Championship. This shows that we are on the right path,” Pourabdian concluded.