Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games:
Iran finishes sixth with 26 golds
Iran’s 166-strong delegation collected 102 medals, including 26 golds, to finish sixth in the overall medal table at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games in Japan – the country’s lowest finish since the multi-sport event was first held in 2010.
The gold medal tally also marked an all-time low for Iran across the five editions of the Games. Iran claimed 44 golds to finish runner-up in Hangzhou in 2022, having achieved its best result in Jakarta in 2018, where it won 51 golds to finish third. The previous low came at the inaugural edition in Guangzhou in 2010, when Iran won 27 golds.
The modest outcome, however, came against a backdrop of challenging circumstances, with Iran sending its second-smallest delegation in the Games’ history after fielding more than 200 athletes in each of the previous three editions. Iranian athletes also had to contend with disrupted preparations amid wartime conditions in the country ahead of the continental showpiece.
Iranian swimmer Mohammad-Hossein Karimi won the country’s final medal at the Games, taking bronze in the men’s 100m butterfly S12 final on Friday.
Earlier on the penultimate day of competition, Alireza Zare’ and Sadeq Beit-Sayyah rounded off Iran’s medal-laden para athletics campaign, which proved to be the country’s most productive sport at the Games, yielding 14 golds, 20 silvers and 16 bronzes.
Zare’ clocked an Asian record of 24.83 seconds to win gold in the men’s 200m T35 final, taking his personal tally in Nagoya to two golds after also claiming the 100m title.
Beit-Sayyah, meanwhile, won gold in the men’s F40/F41 javelin throw with a best effort of 45.78m. It was his second medal at Paloma Mizuho Stadium, following a bronze in the shot put on Wednesday.
Elsewhere, Iran’s men’s wheelchair basketball team settled for silver after losing 55-47 to hosts Japan in the final, while the women’s sitting volleyball team also finished runner-up, falling to China in straight sets (25-22, 25-20, 25-12).
Abolfazl Zarifpour won Iran’s fourth gold medal in para swimming – the delegation’s second-most productive sport, with 16 medals – after clocking 1:04.26 in the men’s 100m backstroke S9 final. He added the title to his silver in the 50m freestyle S9 and bronze in the 100m freestyle S9.
Zarifpour’s compatriot Sina Zeighaminejad was the delegation’s most successful athlete, winning three gold medals in the men’s 100m freestyle S10, 100m backstroke SB9 and 50m freestyle S10 events, as well as bronze in the 200m individual medley SM10.
Elham Salehi, meanwhile, accounted for most gold medals among the 62 Iranian female athletes at the Games, claiming the top prize in the javelin throw F52/F53/F54 and shot put F53/F54 contests.
Iran’s para taekwondo team also contributed to the medal haul, collecting four golds, one silver and six bronzes.
Para powerlifting yielded eight medals, although the results fell short of expectations for one of the sport’s global powerhouses. Iran managed just one gold, won by Ahmad Aminzadeh in the men’s +107kg category, while reigning Paralympic champions Aliakbar Gharibshahi and Rouhollah Rostami settled for silver in their respective divisions.
China, as expected, dominated the overall standings with 435 medals, including 207 golds, followed by Japan with 64 golds and Uzbekistan with 45.
India and South Korea also finished ahead of Iran, winning 30 and 29 gold medals, respectively.