Iran quits 2008 wheelchair basketball

[Afshin]

PTV - The Iranian wheelchair basketball team has withdrawn from their quarterfinal match against the United States at the 2008 Beijing Paralympics.

Iran decided to walk out when the match, which was originally scheduled at 11:15 am, was rescheduled to 9:00 am on Saturday.

The organizers subsequently announced that the Iranian side had therefore lost the match by 'forfeit', and the USA progressed to the semifinals.

"Iran was scheduled to play against the United States at 11:15 after the game between Canada and Israel but the time was suddenly changed to 9:00 without any logical reasons," said head of Iran's delegation in Beijing paralympic Games, Ghafour Kargari on Saturday.

"We wrote a letter of complaint to the Canadian President of the International Wheelchair Basketball Federation Ms. Maureen Orchard and asked her to change the game time back to 11:15 but she refused," he added.

Kargari pointed out that the secretary general of Iran's National Paralympics Committee (NPC), Masoud Ashrafi, wrote a letter to the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) and announced Iran's withdrawal of the wheelchair basketball tournament.

Kargari further said that Iran has decided to write another letter to the Beijing wheelchair basketball organizers to ask for compensation because a big budget was spent to prepare the team for the Beijing Olympic Games.

Earlier, Iran defeated South Africa, Japan and Sweden in its first three encounters to reach the quarterfinals, but then lost to Germany and Canada in the last two games.

Twelve basketball teams have participated in the 2008 Beijing Paralympic Games.