WANA (Apr 28) – The final and third-place matches of the Men’s Beach Volleyball competition at the Sanya 2026 Asian Beach Games concluded today, with Iran claiming the silver medal after a hard-fought campaign.

 

The Final: Iran vs. Qatar

The Iranian national duo, Abolhassan Khakizadeh and Amir-Ali Ghalehnoui, faced off against Qatar—the world’s fifth-ranked team. Despite a valiant effort, the Iranian pair fell 2–0 (21–15, 21–12) to the highly experienced Qatari team, finishing as runners-up.

 

The Qatari veterans utilized their extensive international experience to add the Asian Beach Games title to an illustrious trophy cabinet that includes a Tokyo 2020 Olympic bronze, multiple Asian Games golds, and world-ranking honors.

 

Iran’s Path to the Podium

To reach the final, Khakizadeh and Ghalehnoui recorded five dominant victories over representatives from Uzbekistan, Maldives, China, Lebanon, and Oman. Their only losses in the tournament came against the Qatari champions during the preliminary round and the final.

 

Iran’s second team, comprised of Pourasgari and Aghajani, also delivered a strong performance, topping their group in the preliminary stage before ultimately finishing in a joint-fifth place.

 

Coaching and Officiating

The Iranian delegation was led by coaches Rahman Raoufi and Abdolraouf Bestagani. Additionally, Pouyan Akbari represented Iran as an official referee throughout the tournament.

 

Third-Place Result

In the bronze medal match held earlier in the day, Thailand defeated Oman 2–0 to secure the third-place podium spot.