TEHRAN – Jalil Koohpayehzadeh, head of Iran's Sports Federation for the Disabled, says the 2026 Asian Para Games are a matter of national pride, with Iran determined to defend its runner-up finish from the Hangzhou edition.

Koohpayehzadeh made the remarks at a press conference on Monday, where he reviewed the latest developments involving the country’s para-athletes and outlined the federation’s plans for the Nagoya Games.

“The Asian Para Games are a matter of pride for us, and we must defend our second-place finish from the Hangzhou Asian Para Games,” he said.

He acknowledged that Iran had endured a difficult year due to the 40-day war but stressed that the federation had continued working to prepare a comprehensive program for the upcoming Games.

“We have started a difficult year because of the imposed war, but despite the circumstances, we have done everything in our power to develop a structured plan for the Asian Para Games,” he said.

The federation chief highlighted talent development as a key factor in maintaining Iran’s success in para sport.

“Building a strong pipeline of athletes is essential to repeating our success. Talent identification is one of the main requirements for progress in para sport, and last year we discovered a large number of promising athletes and introduced them to coaches,” he said.

Despite the challenging circumstances, Iran’s sitting volleyball teams continued to compete on the international stage. The men’s team won the world title last month, while the women’s side reached the top eight for the first time.

“These results were remarkable for the international community because we were competing under wartime conditions,” he said. “Our para-athletes showed that even in the most difficult circumstances, it is possible to achieve outstanding results.”

Looking beyond Nagoya, Koohpayehzadeh said Iran also plans to compete at the 2027 Virtus Global Games, slated for late November.

“The federation is currently planning to send athletes in six sports: swimming, indoor rowing, taekwondo, athletics, table tennis and badminton to the Games,” Koohpayehzadeh concluded.