Sitting Volleyball - Team Islamic Rep. of Iran

General
The Islamic Republic of Iran remain the most successful sitting volleyball team at the Paralympic Games, winning six out of 11 gold medals on offer since 1976, and arrive in Tokyo as the reigning Paralympic and world champions.

The Iranians won four consecutive Paralympic gold medals between 1988 and 2000, however their tilt at a fifth in Athens in 2004 was ended in the final by an emergent Bosnia and Herzegovina team they had beaten to gold four years earlier in Sydney. The two teams would contest the next three Paralympic finals, meaning they have battled one another for gold in all five Paralympic Games finals this century. The Iranians claimed victory in straight sets in 2008, but succumbed 3-1 in the final in London in 2012. In Rio they turned the tables, winning the final 3-1 against their perennial rivals.

At the world championships it is a similar story. The Iranian team are historically the most successful nation, winning seven out of 12 world titles, with recent editions dominated by the famous rivalry with Bosnia and Herzegovina. The two teams have contested three finals, including the most recent in 2018, when the Iranians claimed victory in straight sets to secure their ticket to Tokyo. Four years earlier, however, the Iranian team had to settle for bronze after defeat to Brazil in the semifinals. Prior to that, the Iranians defeated Bosnia and Herzegovina in five sets in the final of the 2010 edition, avenging their 2006 world championship final loss to their old foes.