Asia Oceania Wheelchair Basketball Championships:
Iran falls 79-71 to Australia
Iranian men’s wheelchair basketball team suffered a second consecutive defeat at the IWBF Asia Oceania Championships in Bangkok, edged 79-71 by defending champion Australia on Monday.
In a rematch of last year’s final, Jaylon Brown stole the show for Australia with a double-double of 28 points and 11 rebounds, with his teammates Tom O’neill-Thorne and Bill Latham adding 28 and 17 points, respectively.
Amirreza Ahmadi topped the scoring chart for Iran, chipping in 19 points during 31:39 minutes on the court, followed by Mohammad-Hassan Sayyari (17pts) and Mahdi Abbasi (16).
Chasing its first Asian men’s crown in 20 years, Iran got off to a flying start in Bangkok, demolishing China 89-30, but fell to a 64-46 setback against Japan on Sunday.
Iran will face South Korea next in Division A today, before squaring off against the host on Wednesday.
All six top-tier teams will be joined by the two highest-ranked Division B sides in the quarterfinals.
Afghanistan, Chinese Taipei, India, Iraq, Kuwait, New Zealand, the Philippines, and Saudi Arabia complete the lineup in the second-tier division.
Japan came out on top (71-50) against South Korea earlier on Monday, while Kuwait defeated Saudi Arabia by a 55-49 scoreline in Division B.
Afghanistan routed India 93-26, with the Philippines beating the Chinese Taipei 51-40.
The tournament serves as a qualifier for the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games, while the two finalists will also secure their spots at next year’s World Championship in Ottawa, Canada.