IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships:
Iran withdraws after coaches denied Canadian visas
Iran’s men’s team has withdrawn from the upcoming IWBF Wheelchair Basketball World Championships after host Canada refused to issue entry visas to head coach Behrouz Soltani and his assistant, Mohammadreza Dastyar.
The tournament gets underway on Wednesday in Ottawa, where the Iranian team had been drawn alongside hosts Canada, Germany and Morocco in Group D.
“We had decided to send the national team and participate in the World Championships in Canada, but this is not possible without the coaching staff,” Jalail Kouhpayehzadeh, president of the Iranian Sports Federation for the Disabled, told ISNA.
“The competition starts on Wednesday, and there is no longer enough time for the visas to be issued. The visa process takes at least several days, and we may not have enough time to arrive in Canada and take part in the competition.”
Kouhpayehzadeh said the Iranian federation had been in regular contact with the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) over the visa issue, adding that the governing body and the tournament organizers had made efforts to accelerate the process.
“We are in contact with the secretary-general of the world federation every day. They, together with the organizing body, have made considerable efforts to find different ways to speed up the visa process,” he said.
He also expressed confidence that Iran, bronze medalists at the previous edition, would not face sanctions for withdrawing from the tournament under the circumstances.
“It is unlikely that the rules regarding fines or suspension will apply to Iran in such a situation. We made every effort to send the team and followed the legal process for obtaining the visas. Certainly, they understand the situation.”
The withdrawal is a major blow to Iran’s bid to secure a berth at the LA 2028 Paralympic Games, with the World Championships forming part of the qualification pathway.
Kouhpayehzadeh highlighted the importance of the World Championships in determining the number of qualification places allocated to each continent for the 2028 Paralympics.
“The World Championships determine the number of qualification spots allocated to each continent,” Kouhpayehzadeh said.
“Given the situation that has arisen, we will have to defeat all the Asian teams in the future in order to secure the Asian quota for the Paralympics.”