The National Olympic Committee of Iran has launched a series of specialized technical meetings with officials and coaching staff from the Archery, Martial Arts, Badminton and Basketball federations as part of preparations for the Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026.
Iran NOC; Tehran: The meetings, which began on Saturday at the
headquarters of the National Olympic Committee of Iran, are being held
separately with each federation and attended by NOC Secretary General Dr. Mahdi
Alinejad, delegation Chef de Mission Dr. Asghar Rahimi, Director of the
National Teams Monitoring Centre Dr. Reza Shajie, representatives of the
Ministry of Sport, and senior NOC officials.
Addressing the sessions, Dr. Alinejad said the joint decision of the
Ministry of Sport and the NOC is to send a high-quality delegation with strong
medal potential, taking into account financial, budgetary and logistical
considerations. He stressed that closer coordination with federations would
allow the NOC to provide more targeted support. Dr. Rahimi highlighted the
specific operational challenges of the upcoming Asian Games, noting that
competition venues will be widely dispersed and athletes will be accommodated
across hotels, cruise ships and modular dormitories. He underlined the need to
field experienced and well-prepared athletes to ensure effective services for
the delegation. Dr. Shaji presented recent statistical analyses and performance
data of athletes in the invited sports, outlining strengths, weaknesses and
physical and mental readiness, and emphasized the importance of data-driven
planning by coaching staff.
Federation presidents and technical directors also outlined their
preparation programmes, including domestic and international training camps,
upcoming competitions, and athlete selection criteria. It was agreed that
federations will submit their preliminary long lists by mid-March, with final
team selections to be determined following further evaluations in upcoming
meetings.