The Iranian football team for the visually impaired defeated Thailand with a score of 2:1, winning the bronze medal at the Asian Para Games 2026 on Friday.
Hossein Rajabpour and Morteza Karimi scored goals for Iran, while Kittikorn Badoi scored for Thailand.
Earlier, the Iranian team opened its campaign with a 1:0 loss to Thailand.
Japan and China will meet in the final match.
The national visually impaired football team of Iran celebrated its third victory at the 2026 Asian Paralympic Games in Nagoya, defeating India 5-0.
Despite losing the first match to Thailand, Iran managed to win against South Korea and China, allowing them to remain one of the contenders for the title at these Games.
The visually impaired football competition at the fifth Asian Paralympic Games is held in a round-robin format with six teams participating: Iran, China, Japan, India, Thailand, and South Korea.
The first half ended after Sadegh Rahimi scored the only goal in the tenth minute. In the second half, players from Javad Felfeli also demonstrated outstanding play. Mohammadineh Rahimzadeh scored in the 27th minute, and Morteza Karimi added three goals in the 30th, 31st, and 32nd minutes, securing a convincing victory for Iran.
At the Asian Para Games in Aichi-Nagoya, the national visually impaired football team of Iran achieved a convincing victory over China with a score of 2:0. This match was the third for the team and allowed them to resolve a disputed issue that arose at the Hangzhou Games, as well as increase their tally to six points.
The opening goal was scored by Mortaza Karami in the 32nd minute, and Ahmad Shahhosseini added the second goal a few minutes later, securing the win for the team. Goalkeeper Mohammad Mirzayi played a key role by saving two penalties from China and keeping Iran clean sheet.
Thanks to this victory, Iran increased its score to six points after three games, significantly strengthening its position in the standings. Previously, Iran had lost to Thailand with a score of 1:0 in its first match, but then defeated South Korea with a score of 3:1.
Masoud Farahani, president of the Iranian Deaf Sports Federation, highly praised the performance of the national team of deaf athletes at the Asian Championships held in Penang, Malaysia. He noted that the team achieved the best possible results with minimal expenditure.
The Iranian team won 12 medals—five gold, three silver, and four bronze—ultimately securing second place at the Asian Championships in Penang, Malaysia. This success demonstrates the enormous potential of Iran's deaf athletes and their ability to compete with the continent's best representatives.
Farahani congratulated the Iranian people, the deaf community, the champions, their dedicated families, and the diligent coaches on this significant achievement. He emphasized that the success proves that hearing impairment is never an obstacle to talent, ability, or determination.
According to the president, thanks to hard work, discipline, self-belief, and perseverance, the athletes demonstrated that with equal opportunities and proper infrastructure, they can proudly represent Iran on the international stage. These medals, he added, are not only a sporting success but also a source of hope and confidence, contributing to the social integration of millions of people with disabilities and their families.
In women's competitions, Iran fielded two athletes in the 10,000m and 5,000m distances, as well as one participant in the discus throw. Discus thrower Elahkeh Golmohammadi won the gold medal. However, Sima Abdollahi and Zahra Chehreh Alam were forced to participate in disciplines other than their specialties. The women's 5,000m and 10,000m races were canceled before the start of the competition due to insufficient participation. As a result, these two athletes could not compete in their preferred disciplines and did not win medals in the events they participated in.
Farahani admitted that he did not expect the team to take second place, assuming they would finish somewhere between third and fourth. He noted that despite participating in athletics, which was one of several disciplines at the championship, the team secured second place overall by winning the most medals and achieving the best result with the least cost.
He also mentioned that sending the team to the competition was a difficult task given the current circumstances in Iran, including the country's recent involvement in war and currency fluctuations. Despite these financial and logistical difficulties, the delegation traveled and returned with outstanding results.
The Federation President stated that their goal goes beyond simply winning a few medals at one tournament. The main objective is to create a sustainable path for identifying talent, developing athletes, improving coach qualifications, and strengthening Iran's presence at the Asian and global levels. It is necessary to utilize potential in all provinces, improve training bases, and guarantee the possibility of progress for talented deaf athletes regardless of where they live or their families' financial status. To maintain these achievements, increased specialized support, medical care, sports nutrition, and regular training camps are also required.
The Iranian federation president concluded that the team's performance is an encouraging sign of what can be achieved through determination and efficient use of resources, while emphasizing that further investment in athlete development will be necessary to maintain Iran's competitiveness at continental and global levels.
