Iran Squash Team Eyes Historic Asian Medal

Tehran - BORNA -  Mohsen Gholamnejad, head coach of Iran's national squash team, told ISNA in an exclusive interview that the championships had originally been scheduled for April in Islamabad but were postponed until November due to the 40-day war and the unstable security situation in the region.

Gholamnejad named Sepehr Etemadpour, Samiollah Ghasedabadi, Mohammad Changaniyan, Mojtaba Kafili, Fereshteh Eghtedari, Najmeh Boushehri, Narges Soltani and Baran Mohammadpour as the eight Iranian athletes who will compete in the championships.

He said: "The Asian Team Squash Championships will begin on November 3 in Islamabad, with teams from Pakistan, Hong Kong, Korea, Malaysia, Uzbekistan, Iran and Sri Lanka participating. The competitions will continue for five days."

Asked about Iran's chances of reaching the podium, Gholamnejad said: "We finished eighth in the previous edition of the championships, which was held in Korea. However, with India and Japan absent from this year's competition, our chances of reaching the podium are better than last time. We are targeting third place."

Regarding Sepehr Etemadpour's injury, the head coach said: "He has not yet fully recovered from his back injury and is still undergoing treatment. However, since he is the top seed in the draw, we have to include him in the team traveling to the Asian championships."

Gholamnejad also identified the Iranian players' low international rankings as one of the team's main challenges, attributing the problem to their limited participation in international tournaments.

He said: "Some of the players selected for the championships have never competed in a Professional Squash Association (PSA) tournament, and the Asian Team Championships will be their first international experience."

"Nevertheless, we remain optimistic and will do our best to reach the podium," he concluded.

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