Mirzajanpour, Zarif Left Out of Iran Olympic Squad

Iran national volleyball team coach Raul Lozano has announced the 12-man squad that will make the country’s Olympic debut at the competition.

Iran qualified by winning the Asian Volleyball Confederation’s berth at the FIVB World Olympic Qualifier in Japan. In Rio it will start in Pool B against defending Olympic champion Russia, FIVB world champion Poland, Argentina, Cuba and Egypt.

“We will be taking another step up at the Olympic Games and we need to aim to win our pool round matches to finish in first place,” Lozano told fivb.org. “Then we will think of the quarterfinal and the chance to face a powerful team that will probably be France, Brazil or Italy.”

Iran has become a growing volleyball power since it won the 2011 Asian Championship. It retained its continental title in 2013 and used the confidence of that success to fuel its run at the 2014 FIVB Volleyball World League, where the Persians finished fourth.

The team missed out on the World League Final Six this year. 

“We have 14 training days up to Rio and we have to use this opportunity,” Lozano said. “The players rested for a few days (after the World League), but the training camp is already organized.

“The player’s priority is to get fit and work on their individual technique, then they will work together as a team for the next two weeks.”

Iran Olympic Squad
1. Shahram Mahmoudi
2. Milad Ebadipour
3. Saeid Marouf
4. Farhad Ghaemi
5. Seyed Mohammad Mousavi
6. Hamzeh Zarini
7. Adel Gholami
8. Amir Ghafour
9. Mahdi Mahdavi
10. Mohammadjavad Manavinezhad
11. Mostafa Sharifat
12. Mahdi Marandi