Indomitable athletes want to show the world 'that Iran is alive'

Not even a grueling trip of more than two days, violent disruption to their preparations and the heavy weight of concern for families back home could stop Iran's athletes from making their presence felt at the 2026 Asian Beach Games.

Their appearance in the coastal city of Sanya in South China's Hainan province, against long odds, has sent a strong message to the world.

"We think we should be here to show everybody that Iran is alive," Mahdi Alinejad, secretary-general of the National Olympic Committee of Iran, told China Daily on the sand while celebrating his country's opening win over the United Arab Emirates in the men's beach soccer last week.

"We want to let everybody see that our athletes can compete. We want to come here to show that we support peace and unity on our continent."

Despite life-threatening challenges caused by ongoing conflicts in the Middle East, which have brought severe damage to Iran's infrastructure, the country sent a 57-athlete delegation on a larger-than-sport journey that started two weeks ago, beginning with several bus rides that took more than 20 hours to travel from Tehran across the border to Ashkhabad, the capital of neighboring Turkmenistan.

From there, the athletes boarded a flight to Beijing, which involved another transfer of over six hours, before their connecting flight took off for Sanya, a destination new to most of the delegation. The entire journey took them 52 hours.

The Iranians are contesting 10 out of the total 14 sports disciplines in Sanya, where their men's 2024 Beach Soccer World Cup third-placed team, their two-time Asian Beach Games champion kabaddi squad and world-class beach volleyball team have all lived up to their title-favorite tags with impressive runs in Sanya.

As of Sunday afternoon, Iran's beach kabaddi squad has booked its place in Monday's tournament final with four straight wins, while its beach soccer team and beach volleyball pair have also secured their spots in Monday's semifinals and quarterfinals, respectively.

Abbas Pourasgari, the spiker in Iran's beach volleyball team, said that, at the moment, every victory sends a strong message to his people that echoes beyond the field of play.

"We have a strong desire for victories, to keep our national flag flying high in this arena and to tell the world that we stand strong and undefeated. We hope to achieve more victories moving forward," he said following Iran's defeat of regional rival Syria 21-8, 21-9 in a group match on Saturday.

The delegation's preparation, however, has been far from ideal, due to the destruction of their original training base by repeated airstrikes, and the logistical issues caused by the conflict.

Even having made it to Sanya safely, their thoughts remain at home, at times, with the gut-wrenching knowledge that every minute competing on the sand here is a moment away from families and friends who cannot escape the drums of war, according to Alinejad.

"It changed everything in our country, and changed our plan (for preparing for these Games)," Alinejad said of the conflict, which began exactly 40 days before the delegation's planned trip to Sanya.

"Then, there were no flights from Iran, and, then, we had a problem with the delivery of the (Games') ID cards, because there is no postal (service) available.

"Also, just about all of the facilities we should've had to prepare for this event, we suffered a problem with all of them. It was very difficult for us, but all of us are really happy that we are here, and really are proud of our teams.

"You can see the quality of Iranian teams, in kabaddi, beach volleyball and beach soccer. And all of them, regardless of the bombing, have prepared themselves, and they came here to show their performance and also their courage."

Iran's beach soccer team, which has won the Asian championships four times, scored a whopping 18 goals while conceding just three across its first two group matches against the UAE and Thailand, leading all seven participating teams in goal difference by the end of play on Saturday.

Its beach kabaddi squad, which won back-to-back golds at the 2012 and 2014 editions, made its ambition to reclaim the continental title clear from the get-go, kicking off the group stage on Thursday with a convincing 38-28 victory over the sport's traditional powerhouse, and the Games' defending champion, Pakistan.

Ali Sourtechizarrini, a kabaddi raider on Team Iran, described the warm hospitality and optimal event conditions in Sanya as a soothing relief for all the players during these trying times.

"It's the first time I have traveled to China and come to this city. It is very beautiful and lovely. The people here are very warm and kind. The hosting conditions in China are really a blessing for the athletes," said the 22-year-old.

A sentiment echoed by Alinejad:"Now we are here, and soaking up the sporting atmosphere, we can relieve some of the injury in our souls."