TEHRAN - The Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Para Games opened with Iran’s delegation parading behind flag bearer Rouhollah Rostami.

Iran has entered 166 athletes this time, a noticeably smaller squad than in recent editions. Expectations remain high, though, because Iran’s record at these Games has improved steadily since they began in 2010.

Four editions of progress

Iran debuted at Guangzhou 2010 with 156 athletes and finished fourth with 27 gold, 24 silver and 29 bronze medals, 80 in total. At Incheon 2014 the team again ranked fourth, but its haul rose to 120 medals, including 37 golds and 52 silvers.

Jakarta 2018 brought a podium place in the standings. Iran ranked third with 51 golds and well over 130 medals in total, using a 210-strong team.

The peak so far came at Hangzhou 2022 (held in October 2023). Iran finished second with 44 gold, 46 silver and 41 bronze medals, 131 in all, from a squad of about 209 athletes. It was the first time Iranian para athletes had placed second in the tally. Later doping-related reallocations trimmed Iran’s final count slightly to 129.

What the numbers show

Total medals rose from 80 in 2010 to about 131 in 2022, an increase of roughly 64 percent. The ranking climbed from fourth to fourth to third to second. Gold medals peaked in 2018, but the overall total and the ranking peaked in 2022, which suggests a deeper and broader medal base rather than reliance on a few sports.

Some sports have been constant. Iran’s men have dominated sitting volleyball, winning gold at the first three Asian Para Games, with four titles overall by 2022. The women’s team has regularly reached the final, taking silver in 2018 and again in 2022. Powerlifting has also been a cornerstone of Iran’s success at every edition.

New disciplines have helped too. Para taekwondo and para canoe debuted at Hangzhou, and Iran’s athletes reached the podium in both for the first time.

The Nagoya outlook

The 166 athletes in Nagoya are about 20 percent fewer than the squad Iran sent to Hangzhou. A smaller team has less margin for error, so established strengths such as sitting volleyball, powerlifting, judo and athletics will matter even more. Competition is also stiff. China has dominated every edition, and host Japan will aim to improve on its own record at home.

With the Games only just under way, it is too early to judge whether Iran can hold second place or even improve on it. The history suggests a program that consistently turns its participation into medals, and the coming week will show whether a leaner delegation can keep that run going.