The head coach of the Iranian national wheelchair basketball team, Behrouz Soltani, expressed satisfaction with his team's level of preparation during the training camp in Turkey. He noted that the players followed the planned schemes and are ready to begin their campaign at the IWBF World Championship 2026 in Ottawa.
Before the upcoming World Championship, the Iranian national team held a training camp in Turkey, during which six friendly matches were played against teams from Turkey and Poland. During the camp, Iran secured four victories and suffered two defeats.
Soltani emphasized that this training camp and the matches played significantly contributed to the team's preparation, as well as allowing the coaching staff to study the players' condition and the overall form of the squad more deeply before the IWBF World Championship 2026.
The coach reported that Turkey and Poland served as opponents in the tournament. The team played three matches against each of these countries. Iran won all three encounters against Poland, and won one against Turkey.
However, according to Soltani, the main goal of the camp and these games was not achieving results, but improving preparation for the World Championship, which was achieved very successfully.
The head coach added that the players' performances in Turkey increased his confidence ahead of the tournament. He stated that based on what he saw in Turkey, he is more optimistic about the possibility of reaching an ideal level at the World Championship.
The World Championship will also determine continental rankings for participation in the Paralympic Games qualification tournament. Soltani stressed that Iran will strive for positive results, using the competition as an important stage on the way to the Asian Paralympic Games.
Iran's next training camp is scheduled to take place in Tehran starting on September 6th and will continue continuously until the team departs for Canada. Regarding Iran's opponents, Soltani specified that the team has been placed in Group D along with Morocco, Germany, and Canada.
He noted that their opponents are currently participating in preparatory tournaments, and they are closely monitoring their situation daily, as achieving the desired result at the World Championship requires positive results in the group stage.
Soltani also confirmed that the Iranian team roster for the World Championship, consisting of 12 players, has been finalized, and he expressed hope that the preparation will continue according to plan until the team's departure to Canada and the official start of the tournament. The IWBF World Championship 2026 will take place from September 9th to September 19th in Ottawa.