Asia Oceania Wheelchair Basketball Championships:
Iran settles for men’s bronze, misses out on world berth
Iranian men’s wheelchair basketball team defeated South Korea 57-44 to settle for a third-place finish at the IWBF Asia Oceania Championships in Bangkok, Thailand.
Mahdi Abbasi contributed with 18 points and 14 rebounds for Iran, followed by Amirreza Ahmadi, who finished on 14 points, while South Korean Seung Hyun Cho chipped in a game-high 19 points.
The bronze medal secured Iran’s place at the 2026 Asian Para Games, but it was not enough for Reza Soltani’s men to qualify for next year’s World Championships, as the Ottawa berth was awarded only to the two finalists, Australia and Japan.
Runner-up to Australia in the previous edition, Iran began its campaign with victory over China in the Division A league phase, but suffered back-to-back defeats against Japan and Australia, before bouncing back to beat South Korea and Thailand for a place in the quarterfinals.
A second victory over China saw Iran progress to the semifinals, where a second setback against Japan ended the team’s bid for a first Asian crown in 20 years.
In the women’s competition, Iran finished sixth – courtesy of victories over Laos, the Philippines, and India, plus losses to Cambodia and the host – to qualify for the Asian Para Games.