The Iranian national wheelchair basketball team will not travel to Canada for the upcoming IWBF 2026 Wheelchair Basketball World Championship in Ottawa. The reason for the withdrawal was the untimely receipt of visas for the head and assistant coach.
Khalil Khouhpazadeh, head of the Iranian Disabled Sports Federation, reported that the federation intended to send the team to the tournament, but participation without coaching staff is deemed impossible.
Khouhpazadeh stated: 'The team decided to participate, but this cannot be done without technical personnel.' He added that the competition starts on Wednesday, leaving no time for visa processing, as the procedure takes at least several days.
He also specified that the federation maintained constant contact with the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) regarding the visa issue. According to him, the IWBF and tournament organizers made significant efforts to expedite the process and understand the circumstances preventing Iran from obtaining visas.
Furthermore, Khouhpazadeh expressed hope that Iran would not face sanctions or fines for withdrawing, emphasizing that the federation did everything possible to participate and followed the legal visa application procedure.
Regarding qualification for the Los Angeles 2028 Paralympic Games, Khouhpazadeh noted that the World Championship determines the number of qualification spots allocated to each continent. Since the Iranian team cannot participate in Canada, it will now have to take an even more difficult path to secure an Asian quota.
He concluded: 'We must defeat all Asian teams to secure the continental quota.'