Iran clinched the men’s basketball bronze medal at the Asian Games with a 79-70 victory over China on Sunday, a triumph that resonated deeply with players enduring significant personal and national challenges.
The match in Nagoya was a tight contest, with China holding a narrow 31-29 lead at halftime. However, Iran seized control during the third quarter, building a 55-46 advantage before successfully repelling a late Chinese comeback attempt to secure the podium finish.
Arsalan Kazemi, a 6ft 8in power forward who made history in 2013 as the first Iranian drafted by the NBA’s Washington Wizards, described the team’s reaction as one of being ‘speechless’ rather than just jubilant.
“The pressure that we had on us is just out of this world,” Kazemi told reporters. “Not a lot of athletes can say that, with the way that it has been for almost six months, what we have been through, what our families have been through.”
Kazemi added that the squad played with immense passion to honor their compatriots. “I just congratulate the people of Iran because they deserve much better,” he said. “I think my teammates and I put our hearts out on the court today just to get this win and make them happy.”
Teammate Arman Zangeneh highlighted the practical and physical hardships the group faced, noting that earning an Asian Games medal exempts male athletes from mandatory military conscription—a benefit granted under a 2018 directive by former Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
“If you get the medal at the Asian Games, you don’t need to go to the army any more, so it’s huge for some players,” explained Zangeneh, a 6ft 6in forward. He detailed the grueling schedule that saw the team travel to the Philippines for qualifiers and then immediately relocate to Japan, living in temporary container housing with limited resources.
“It was really difficult. And living in a container, with the food and everything, it was hard, very hard,” Zangeneh recalled. “In the end, we got to the point where we go home with a medal, and it means a lot.”
Under current Iranian regulations, male citizens are required to serve two years of active military duty upon reaching age 18 before transferring to the reserve force. Previously, exemptions were limited to medalists from the Olympic or world championship games, according to the semi-official Tasnim news agency.
Playing in containers with such limited resources and still beating China? That’s pure grit. Well deserved, Iran.
I had no idea Asian Games medals waived mandatory military service in Iran. That adds a whole other layer of urgency to their victory.
The emotional weight behind this bronze is incredible. So proud of Kazemi for speaking out about the pressure they faced.