TEHRAN - Iran Deaf Sports Federation President Masoud Farahani has praised the national deaf athletics team’s performance at the Asian Championships in Penang, Malaysia, saying the team achieved the best possible results at minimal cost.

Iran’s national deaf athletics team secured 12 medals — five gold, three silver and four bronze — to finish runners-up at the Asian Championships in Penang, Malaysia. The result highlights the immense potential of Iran’s deaf athletes and their ability to compete with the continent’s best.

“First and foremost, I would like to congratulate the great Iranian nation, the country’s deaf community, our champion athletes, their dedicated families and hard-working coaches on this valuable achievement,” Farahani said.

“The message behind this success is clear: hearing impairment is never a limitation on ability, talent or determination. Through hard work, discipline, self-belief and perseverance, our athletes have demonstrated that, given equal opportunities and adequate facilities, they can proudly raise Iran’s flag on the international stage,” he added.

“These medals represent more than sporting success. They are a source of hope and confidence, promoting social inclusion and participation for millions of people with disabilities and their families.,” Farahani added.

“In the women’s events, Iran fielded two athletes in the 10,000m and 5,000m races, as well as one competitor in the discus throw. Fortunately, discus thrower Elaheh Golmohammadi captured the gold medal. However, Sima Abdollahi and Zahra Chehreh Alam had to compete in events outside their specialist disciplines. The women’s 5,000m and 10,000m races were cancelled before the competition began because the number of entrants failed to meet the minimum requirement. As a result, the two athletes were unable to compete in their preferred events and did not win medals in the disciplines they entered,” the president stated.

“I had not predicted that we would finish as runners-up. I expected us to place somewhere between third and fourth,” Farahani said.

“Several sports were contested at these championships, but we competed only in athletics and still managed to finish second overall. We won the most medals and achieved the best possible result with the least expenditure.”

He added that sending the team to the competition had been challenging amid the prevailing circumstances in Iran, including the country’s recent involvement in war and fluctuations in foreign exchange rates. Despite these financial and logistical difficulties, the delegation made the trip and returned with an outstanding result.

“Our focus is not simply on winning a handful of medals at a single competition. Our goal is to establish a sustainable pathway for talent identification, athlete development, improving coaches’ expertise and strengthening our presence at Asian and world-level competitions,” he said.

“We must make greater use of the potential across our provinces, improve training facilities and ensure that talented deaf athletes have opportunities to progress, regardless of where they live or their families’ financial circumstances.

“To sustain these results, we must also strengthen specialist support, medical care, sports nutrition and regular training camps.”

The Iranian federation’s president said the team’s performance was an encouraging sign of what could be achieved through determination and efficient use of resources, while stressing that continued investment in athlete development would be essential to maintaining Iran’s competitiveness on the continental and global stages.