WSPS World Cup:
Pakdaman ruled out of Saber World Cup with knee injury
Iranian fencer Ali Pakdaman has been ruled out of the upcoming Saber World Cup – starting Thursday in Alger, Algeria – with an injury setback.
An Asian champion in 2023, the Iranian captain suffered an untimely knee problem during Saturday’s final training session before heading to Algeria, and will face a race against time to recover for the fencing event, which begins on Nov. 17, at the Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh.
Nima Aqaei, Mohammad Fotouhi, Taha Kargarpour, and Nima Zahedi will represent the Iranian team in Alger.
The opening event of the international saber season will feature more than 200 contestants from the host nation, Canada, Chile, Egypt, Spain, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hong Kong, Hungary, Italy, Japan, Kazakhstan, South Korea, Saudi Arabia, Poland, Romania, Senegal, Tunisia, Turkey, Ukraine, the United States, and Venezuela, as well as Russian fencers, who will compete as neutral athletes.