TEHRAN – Iran head coach Behrouz Soltani is satisfied with the third-place position of the 2024 International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) U23 Asia Oceania Championship.

Iran came third in the event took place in Bangkok, Thailand from Nov. 17 to 22.

Iran lost to Australia 71-48 and Japan 65-58 and defeated the Philippines 80-28, Saudi Arabia 76-24, Thailand 60-25 and India 71-20 and the Philippines 66-19.

The team also advanced to the 2025 IWBF Men’s U23 World Championship along with champions Australia and runners-up Japan.

“We are satisfied with the position we earned in the competition because all players experienced their first ever international competition. Average age of our team was 17 years and it means our players have a bright future ahead of them,” Soltani said in an interview with Tehran Times.

“We could have defeated Japan but our players lost focus and suffered defeat in the last minutes of the match. I hope they learned from the experience for the upcoming matches,” he added.

“I think the competition was a good opportunity for our players and they succeeded to climb onto the podium in their first ever event.  Undoubtedly, we will have a golden generation in the future.

“From now on, we have to prepare for the 2025 IWBF Men’s U23 World Championship, which will be held in Rio, Brazil. We must continue our progress,” Soltani concluded.