Iranian Women's Futsal Team Wins Bronze Medal at 2026 Youth Olympic Games

The Uzbekistan team achieved a historic success in athletics by winning two silver medals at the IV Summer Youth Olympics held in Dakar. These awards mark the first such success for the country in this sport at the Youth Olympic Games.

The first medal was won by Parizoda Talabova. In the javelin throw discipline, she demonstrated a result of 54.68 meters, thereby increasing her personal record by 98 centimeters. However, she was beaten by Ilse Cordoba from Colombia, who threw the implement 57.62 meters. The bronze medal in the same event was won by the athlete from Latvia, Eliza Liger, with a result of 52 meters.

The second silver medalist is Shahzodbek Holmurodov, who won this award in the triple jump final, setting a new personal record with a result of 15.71 meters. The winner of the triple jump was the Chinese athlete Shen Xuefen, who jumped 16.18 meters, and the third place was taken by the Portuguese athlete Juan Matush with a result of 15.53 meters.

Thus, Talabova became the first Uzbek athlete to receive a medal in athletics at the Youth Olympic Games, and Holmurodov secured the country's first such award among young men.

The IV Summer Youth Olympic Games started on October 31 and will end on November 13. In these games, Uzbekistan is participating with 19 athletes in 11 different sports. It is worth noting that previously, swimmer Muhammadismil Rakhmonov brought Uzbekistan its first-ever medal in swimming at the Youth Olympic Games, winning bronze in the 200-meter breaststroke event.

The Iranian women's futsal team defeated the Italian team with a score of 3:1 during the 2026 Youth Olympic Games, which took place on Thursday.

During the match in Group B of the women's futsal at the 2026 Summer Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, Elnaz Hosseinpour scored twice, securing Iran's victory.

Setaesh Rezaei added the third goal, after which the team finished the group stage with three wins, taking first place before the semifinals. Previously, Iran also beat Costa Rica and Cameroon.

Iran's U-18 women's futsal team secured a spot in the semi-finals of the 2026 Youth Olympic Games after achieving an impressive 5-3 victory over Cameroon in the second group stage match.

For Cameroon, which had lost its first match, the encounter was decisive. The African team started the game convincingly, utilizing their physical advantage and fast attacks to capitalize on moments of Iranian carelessness and take a two-goal lead early on.

Nevertheless, the team led by Fatemeh Sharif demonstrated immense character and fighting spirit, managing to turn the tide of the game and secure all three points with a confident 5-3 win.

The goals for Iran were scored by Narges Amirmahseni, who netted a brace, as well as Tanaz Bagherinia, Nafiseh Mohammadi, and Setaeesh Rezaei-Salehi.

Sharif stated: 'I dedicate this victory to the people of Iran, especially the great futsal family, and congratulate everyone on reaching the semi-finals. It was an extremely difficult match. Cameroon came out with everything they had, knowing they needed a result to keep hopes alive. They had a physical advantage over us.'

She added: 'We conceded twice, but my players truly fought for every ball and showed tremendous character to come back into the game.'

By earning three points from Cameroon, Iran accumulated six points and mathematically guaranteed its place among the four finalists of the tournament.

However, Sharif emphasized that her team would quickly shift its focus to the final group stage match against Italy, where they are firmly aiming for first place in the group.

'Our qualification is secured, but the match against Cameroon is behind us. The entire coaching staff and players are focused on the quarter-final match against Italy. Our main goal is to win and take first place in the group, which will give us the best position before the semi-finals,' she said.

Sharif also highly praised her players and acknowledged the support of the coaching staff, the Football Federation, and the Women's Committee, calling this achievement a historic milestone for women's futsal in Iran.

'Reaching the semi-finals is a historic achievement for women's futsal in our country, and its positive impact will be seen in the coming years. The players on this team are invaluable assets with a bright future ahead of them. They will be able to achieve great success over many years and become a solid foundation for the Iranian national team,' she concluded.