Ski Federation president reflects on Winter Olympics
The president of Iran’s Ski Federation said the team achieved what it aimed for over the past two to three months at the Winter Olympics. “Although our 25-day training camp in Italy was canceled due to visa issues, our performance was better than the previous Olympics,” he noted.
In an interview with IRNA regarding Mohammad Kiadarbansari’s retirement from skiing and competitive sports following the Milan-Cortina 2026 Winter Olympics, Bahram Saveh-Shemshaki stated, “This was a personal decision. He dedicated years to skiing, participated in three Olympics, and decided to retire due to his age.”
Speaking about his meeting with Thomas Bach, President of the International Olympic Committee, on the sidelines of the 2026 Winter Olympics, he said, “During this meeting, we discussed the Olympics, winter sports, and women’s participation in the Games. At these Olympics, we had a unified presence in both men’s and women’s competitions.”
He emphasized the importance of participation, “Being part of the Games is significant because it shows respect for the Olympic spirit. The Olympics are not just about winning medals; the presence of countries enhances the event. Everyone who attends the Olympics is extraordinary, and that is truly valuable. We are the only federation responsible for winter sports.”
When asked about hosting competitions, he said, “Next year, we are candidates to host the Asian Junior Championships, and in September we will host the Grass Ski World Championships. These two events have been coordinated in advance with the international federation. Hosting depends on regional security conditions — if the situation improves, we will host; if not, the events will be assigned to other countries.”
Regarding the national ski team’s performance at the Winter Olympics, Saveh-Shemshaki explained, “As we predicted, we wanted the athletes to complete the courses themselves and ski with technical precision. The courses and competition quality were very challenging. These Games are for the best, but compared to the previous Olympics, we had no female participants in cross-country skiing before, and this time we secured a quota. Samaneh Beyrami performed exceptionally, overtaking 11 of her top-ranked competitors.”
He added, “Our athletes competed according to their world rankings. Danial Saveh-Shemshaki delivered a technically better performance than before, although he started one second too early and received a penalty. Mohammad Kiadarbansari had been banned for doping in the previous Olympics, and his last competitive result was at the 2018 Winter Olympics, but he completed both events successfully this time. In women’s Alpine skiing, Sadaf Saveh-Shemshaki also finished her race compared to the previous Games. The President of the International Ski Federation commended her performance, took a photo with her, and expressed satisfaction.”
Looking ahead, he said, “We will compete for medals at the 2029 Asian Games in Kazakhstan. Since Saudi Arabia could not meet hosting requirements, the Games were assigned to Kazakhstan. In the previous edition in Harbin, we performed poorly. We may not win medals in Kazakhstan either, but we will fight for them and also prepare for the 2030 Winter Olympics.”