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Iran Women's Kabaddi Team Overcomes War, Sanctions to Reach Asian Games Final
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News18•26-09-2026, 13:30
Iran Women's Kabaddi Team Overcomes War, Sanctions to Reach Asian Games Final
- •Iran's women's kabaddi team faced immense challenges, including three camp relocations and training at 10 different bases over six months, due to regional conflict disrupting their Asian Games preparations.
- •A psychologist was crucial in helping the young players maintain focus amidst worries about their families' safety and constant uncertainty about training locations.
- •Coach Ghulam Raza Mazandrani, also part of Pro Kabaddi League's Mumbai franchise, highlighted the players' daily calls to families to ensure their safety while trying to concentrate on the game.
- •The team's preparation was severely hampered by the conflict, effectively losing two months of training time and making it impossible to arrange international friendly matches due to sanctions.
- •Despite the lack of international exposure and a very young squad (average age under 22), Iran reached the Asian Games final, demonstrating remarkable resilience against India.
Key Questions Answered
Iran's women's kabaddi team had to change training camps three times and utilize about 10 different bases over six months due to the war. The disruptions caused them to lose two full months of preparation time and forced them to relocate exclusively to northern Iran.
India defeated Iran 37-34 in a closely contested women's kabaddi final to successfully defend their Asian Games title.
International sanctions imposed on Iran made it extremely difficult to invite foreign teams into the country or travel abroad for matches against opponents like Chinese Taipei, India, or Japan.
