IWBF lifts ban on Iran wheelchair basketball

TEHRAN,Jan.22(MNA)--The International Wheelchair Basketball Federation (IWBF) has lifted the ban on Iran wheelchair basketball. The Iranian men's wheelchair basketball team withdrew from the Beijing Paralympics at the quarter-final stage due to dissatisfaction with the draw proposed for the crossover round and subsequent schedule. Afterward, IWBF banned Iran until January 1, 2013, but the ban has been lifted and the Iranian team is allowed to take part in the international competitions. Iran prepares for booking a place in the Men's U-23 World Wheelchair Basketball Championship, which will be held in Adana, Turkey from September 12 to 22. 2013. “We are so glad since IWBF has lifted the ban a few months earlier. We’ve worked hard in the past four years. Without a doubt, Iran could be one of the most powerful teams in the near future,” Abbas Aghakuchaki, head of Iran’s Wheelchair Basketball Association said in the news conference on Monday.