Iranian athletics target 10 medals despite concerns
With just a few months remaining until the Nagoya Asian Games, Ehsan Haddadi — the Iranian discus throw Olympic medalist and current President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Athletics Federation — has set an ambitious target of 10 medals, although Iran’s athletics team appears to be far less prepared than expected.
According to ISNA, the Nagoya Asian Games will begin on September 19. Athletics is the highest medal-yielding sport at the Games, playing a major role in the overall medal standings of participating countries.
However, Iranian athletics has shown a steady decline in recent years and has failed to play a significant role in the country’s medal tally, dropping from five medals at the 2010 Asian Games to just two medals in 2022 — a trend that points to long-term issues in planning and development within the federation.
Despite this, Haddadi, after being elected federation president, pledged to win 10 medals at the Nagoya Asian Games — eight more than Hangzhou and five more than Guangzhou. The key question, however, remains: which athletes are expected to deliver on this promise?
The most recent test for Iranian athletics came at the Sanya Asian Beach Games, where only one medal was achieved from five athletes sent to compete.
To realistically target 10 medals, at least 10 competitive and prepared athletes would be needed to challenge Asia’s best. Yet questions remain about who these athletes are, what condition they are in, how they are training, which competitions they have been sent to, and what the federation’s overall plan is.
The main medal hopes include Ali Amiri (800m), Mohammadreza Tayebi and Hassan Ajami (shot put), and Reyhaneh Mobini (long jump). However, among them, only Ajami competed at the Sanya Beach Games, where he won gold with a throw of 20.17 meters, while the others have only participated in domestic training camps.
A look at Asia’s top lists shows that rivals are already actively competing. In the women’s long jump, India’s Ancy Sojan Edappilly recorded a mark of 6.54m on March 15, 2026 — just one centimeter better than Mobini’s national record.
In the men’s 800m, Japan’s 19-year-old Ko Uchiyai set a new Asian-leading time of 1:43.90 on May 3, 2026.
In men’s shot put, India’s Tajinderpal Singh Toor leads the Asian rankings with a throw of 21.03m, while Tayebi holds the Iranian national record at 20.87m.
Although rankings will continue to change as athletes compete in upcoming events, the key issue remains clear: while Asia’s competitors are actively preparing and improving, Iran’s current development strategy is under question — along with which athletes are expected to deliver the 10 medals promised by Haddadi.