Coordination Meeting Holds ahead of LA 2028 Olympic Qualifications

Iran NOC; Tehran: Following the confirmation of schedules and host cities for Olympic qualification events across various sports, the NOC held its first coordination meeting for participation in the Los Angeles 2028 Olympic Games, attended by representatives of Olympic disciplines. The meeting was attended by Dr. Mahdi Alinejad, the NOC Secretary-General, Dr. Asghar Rahimi, Advisor to the NOC President and Chef de Mission of the Iranian delegation for the Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games; Dr. Reza Shajie, Director of the National Teams Monitoring Center; Atefeh Eslamian, Director of International Affairs; and Mahmoud Abdollahi, Director of Public Relations, along with presidents, secretaries, representatives, and technical directors of several national sport federations.

At the opening of the session, Dr. Mahdi Alinejad highlighted the importance of Iran’s successful participation in upcoming international events, stating: “While our main focus is on a strong performance at the Nagoya Asian Games, we must also pay special attention to the Olympic qualification events. Through careful planning, focus and strong participation, we should aim to secure the maximum possible quotas for Team Iran”. The NOC Secretary-General also referred to the lengthy visa procedures and advised federations whose qualification events will be held in the United States to submit their travel plans at least six months in advance so that the necessary coordination for visa applications can be arranged.

During the meeting, Dr. Reza Shajie presented a comprehensive briefing on the qualification systems in each sport, outlining the latest regulations and requirements for federations. He noted that detailed technical files for each discipline have been sent separately to the federations, while the official guidelines issued by the respective International Federations remain the main reference to be translated and reviewed by national federations. Dr. Asghar Rahimi, Chef de Mission of the Iranian delegation for the Aichi–Nagoya Asian Games, also noted that in several sports the results achieved at the Asian Games could count toward qualification for the LA 2028 Olympic Games, highlighting the need for stronger coordination and preparation for the event. Eslamian also explained the procedures related to Wild Card and Universality Card allocations, stating that such opportunities exist only in limited sports and are unlikely to apply to the Iranian delegation. At the end of the meeting, presidents, secretaries, representatives and technical directors of the federations shared their views, concerns and questions regarding the preparation process and the pathway toward Olympic qualification.