SANYA, China, April 24 (Xinhua) — Despite the impact of war, Iran’s delegation arrived in Sanya on schedule to compete in the 6th Asian Beach Games, demonstrating resilience and a commitment to peace through sport, a senior Iranian sports official said on Thursday.
“A war broke out and disrupted all our plans, but we had to come to China. We are here to show that Iran is alive and that our athletes can still compete,” said Mahdi Alinejad, secretary general of the Iranian National Olympic Committee.
The Games opened on Wednesday in Sanya, south China’s Hainan Province. The nearly 100-member Iranian delegation managed to participate as scheduled despite challenges including suspended flights and disrupted training.
“We started preparing for the Games six months ago. Unfortunately, the war broke out and changed everything in our country. There were no flights, and postal services between China and Iran were suspended, so we couldn’t receive our accreditation cards. Everything was very difficult,” Alinejad said.
The delegation’s journey from the Iranian capital Tehran to Sanya took more than two days. “We first traveled by road from Tehran to the Iran-Turkmenistan border, then from Turkmenistan capital Ashgabat to Beijing, and finally to Sanya,” he said. “It was really difficult, but we are all very happy to be here. We are very grateful for the support from the Olympic Council of Asia, and the Olympic committees of China and Turkmenistan.”
“By participating, we want to send a message that the Iranian people support peace, follow the rules, and support unity in our continent,” he added.
At the opening ceremony, members of the Iranian delegation placed their right hands on their chests as they marched in. Alinejad said the gesture was meant to mourn those injured, killed or displaced during the war.
“During the war, Iran’s largest stadium, which was also the venue for the 1974 Asian Games in Tehran, was destroyed by bombing. We have recorded that more than 100 Iranian athletes have lost their lives, some of them very young, only 18 years old. They might have had a bright future,” he said. “One day, a bomb fell just 500 meters away from our NOC headquarters, which was also damaged. We took risks while preparing everything for the team, and luckily we made it.”
Preparations for all teams were affected, Alinejad noted. “During the war, especially in Tehran, we couldn’t train. So we set up camps in the safest regions of Iran, such as the north near the Caspian Sea and in the east. It was completely different from before, but we tried to do our best,” he said.
In a beach soccer group match on Wednesday, Iran defeated the United Arab Emirates 5-2. Alinejad said the result highlighted the quality of Iranian athletes despite limited preparation.
“It was a very good match, and our team is at a very high level. Our new generation of athletes is very strong – they have the potential to become the best in the world,” he said.
He also expressed hope that sporting events could help convey a message of peace and goodwill to neighboring countries in the Middle East.
“Iran, Saudi Arabia and the UAE, we are all here for peace and friendship. They are our neighbors and our friends. There are no problems between us, only sport and competition. We want to show Iran’s spirit of fair play,” he said.
Alinejad added that sport can play an important role in promoting regional peace and reconstruction.
“The Iranian National Olympic Committee has always hoped to promote regional peace through sport. As stated in the Olympic Charter, the most important values of sport are peace and friendship,” he said.
