Dr. Mahdi Alinejad, Secretary-General of Iran’s National Olympic Committee, said the country’s sporting sector has been “revived” following Iran’s strong performance at the sixth Islamic Solidarity Games in Riyadh, where the delegation earned 29 gold, 19 silver and 33 bronze medals.
Iran NOC; Tehran: Speaking at the conclusion of the event, he
congratulated the Iranian people and praised the athletes for what he described
as 18 days of exceptional effort against competitors from 57 nations. Alinejad
highlighted Iran’s third-place finish and its close contest with Uzbekistan,
noting that both countries collected 29 gold medals, with Uzbekistan securing
second place only through a higher silver-medal tally. He contrasted this with
the previous edition, where Iran finished third but trailed Uzbekistan by 12
golds, calling the current results evidence that Iranian sport is standing tall
again and in very good condition.
He said Iran’s delegation competed in 20 sports and won medals in
19 of them, illustrating broad competitive depth. Despite a sharp reduction in
available gold medals compared with the previous edition, Iran increased its
own gold-medal count, outperforming the overall decline and marking what
Alinejad described as a significant indicator of progress. He also underlined
the impact of women athletes, who secured around 40 percent of Iran’s gold and
total medals, reflecting what he called a promising trajectory for women’s
sport in the country. Alinejad praised several standout sports, ranking
wrestling as Iran’s most successful discipline after it claimed eight golds
from all available medal opportunities. Wushu earned four golds from six
medals, the women’s karate team swept all three possible golds, swimming won
its first-ever Islamic Solidarity Games gold, and the women’s handball team
reached the podium for the first time. He said such achievements collectively
shaped the delegation’s overall success.
NOC Secretary-General noted that Iran views the Riyadh Games as a
precursor to the 2026 Asian Games in Nagoya and the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics,
and stressed that strengths and weaknesses would be examined carefully in
upcoming technical sessions. He expressed appreciation for the Minister of
Sport, National Olympic Committee President Mahmoud Khosravi-Vafa, national
federations, coaches, athletes and their families for their contributions to
the mission. Alinejad added that a coordinated review process between the
Ministry of Sport and the National Olympic Committee, already underway for the
Bahrain youth events, will continue for the Riyadh Games. The goal, he said, is
to adopt a scientific and evidence-based approach to performance evaluation to
reinforce strengths and address weaknesses.
He also commended Iranian media outlets, including print, broadcast
and state television, for what he described as excellent coverage of the
competition. According to officials from the Saudi Olympic Committee, he said,
Iranian media coverage was even stronger than that of Saudi outlets, helping
ensure that the athletes’ achievements were effectively highlighted at home.