Based on preliminary forecasts, Iran will send its biggest team in its history to the upcoming Para Asian Games in Jakarta, Indonesia.
It is going to be the country’s largest squad in terms of both quantity and quality since the 1979 Islamic Revolution, IRNA reported on Sunday.
As Hadi Rezaei, head of the delegation, said, about 420 athletes (330 men and 90 women) are expected to attend the games.
The tournament is to be held in 17 categories of archery, swimming, athletics, bowling, wheelchair fencing, wheelchair tennis, table tennis, sitting volleyball, wheelchair basketball, badminton, goalball, cycling, boccia, judo, lawn bowls, powerlifting and shooting.
Rezaei said that so far Iranian athletes of nine categories who will compete at the Para Asian Games have been finalized and the complete list of athletes and sports to participate in the event will be published between April 21 and May 21.
“Records and the performance of athletes are considered for their selection and the priority is with medal-winning segments”, he added.
In the previous edition of the games, Iran participated with 203 athletes, almost half the approximate number for the Jakarta games.
Among the 203 athletes, 120 won 37 gold, 52 silver and 31 bronze medals to stand in fourth place.
China, South Korea and Japan took the first to third places respectively.
Athletics with 21 gold medals brought the highest number of gold medals home. They also collected a total of 72 out of 120 medals.
Swimming and powerlifting with 13 and eight medals respectively were on the second and third places of the most medal-winning sports for Iran in South Korea in 2014.
In March 2016, Indonesia signed the Asian Para Games host city contract at a ceremony in Jakarta, having been confirmed in October 2014 as the host city of the 2018 Asian Games.
The 2018 Asian Para Games, also known as the third Asian Para Games, parallels the 2018 Asian Games, as a multi-sport event for Asian athletes with a disability. The event will be held in the Indonesian capital October 6-13.
