It’s a great honor to be Iran’s flag-bearer: Atrachali

TEHRAN – Fazel Atrachali, the male flag-bearer for Iran’s delegation at the Nagoya Asian Games, says he is proud to have been given the honor and hopes the national team can also claim the gold medal at the continental event.

Iran, one of the leading kabaddi powers in Asia and the world, will compete in Nagoya with high ambitions. India, meanwhile, will be looking to once again demonstrate their dominance over Iran and the rest of Asia.

Atrachali spoke exclusively to Vatan News about his own preparations and Iran’s prospects at the Asian Games.

“Given the special circumstances currently facing our country, carrying the national flag can be a symbol of strength and authority, which makes this responsibility particularly significant,” Atrachali said.

“Of course, it is a very heavy responsibility. The name of our delegation is The Children of Minab, and that makes me feel an even greater sense of responsibility.”

He added: “It is a great honor to be the flag-bearer of the national team at the opening ceremony, especially when great champions such as Arian Salimi and our wrestlers are also part of this delegation. I am proud to represent these famous athletes,” the kabaddi captain explained.

Asked about his expectations for Iran’s performance at the Asian Games, the national team captain said Iran cannot afford to underestimate any opponent.

“All the countries will come to these Games at full strength. For example, in previous competitions, Malaysia emerged as a very strong team, even though we did not expect them to perform at such a high level,” he said.

“Teams such as South Korea, Sri Lanka, Pakistan and Chinese Taipei have also performed very well in recent years. So, it would be wrong to think that India are our only serious rival. All the teams are strong, although India remain our traditional and long-standing rival.”

At the previous Asian Games in Hangzhou, the match between Iran and India was halted for a prolonged period because of refereeing issues. Eventually, contrary to expectations that the officials would rule in Iran’s favor and allow the match to continue, that did not happen.

Reflecting on the controversial incident, Atrachali said: “The match was stopped for 70 minutes, but in the end we saw that the Indians had more influence when it came to the refereeing decisions, and they won the match. Of course, I have played alongside several Indian players and know them very well.”

“On paper and statistically, their players may be better than ours, but when it comes to teamwork, we have always been stronger.

“In terms of facilities, technique and tactics, perhaps we have only 10 percent of what they have, but 90 percent comes down to belief and mentality. We will step onto the court aiming for the gold medal — whether our opponent are India or Pakistan,” Atrachali concluded.