TEHRAN - Iran men's U16 volleyball team head coach Arash Sadeghiani stated that his team have done a great job in the 2023 Asian Men's U16 Volleyball Championship.

The Iranian team won the title with seven wins in a row in the competition held in Tashkent, Uzbekistan last Sunday, defeating the hosts 3-1 in the final match.

“We didn't anticipate most of the teams to send a strong team to the tournament since it was the first edition of the competition in the U16 age-group in Asia,” said Sadeghiani in his interview with Tehran Times.

“The traditional rivals, Japan and China, were strong as usual, but other teams such as Pakistan, Uzbekistan, and Chinese Taipei also proved that how strong they are.

“Our matches were all tough and challenging, with the exception of Saudi Arabia. Japan and Chinese Taipei were particularly difficult, but we were able to win despite being two sets down,” he added.

Before the final match, the young Persians had defeated China, Japan, Saudi Arabia, Uzbekistan, Kazakhstan and Chinese Taipei.

“The large number of friendly games we played before the tournament had a positive impact on our preparation and players' experience,” said the 39-year-old head coach.

The competition's top three teams - Iran, Uzbekistan, and Chinese Taipei - have all earned a place in the first-ever FIVB Volleyball Boys' U17 World Championship next year.

“We aim to get the national team ready for the World Championship tournament by keeping the current team prepared, and also by organizing warm-up matches and tournaments to gain experience.

“I want to express my gratitude to the Iran volleyball federation, the national team members, and technical staff for their help in achieving this goal. It was a team effort, and we couldn't have done it without them,” concluded Sadeghiani.