Table tennis player Benyamin Faraji and futsal player Hadis Yari have been chosen as Iran's flag-bearers for the Dakar 2026 Youth Olympic Games, Tehran Times reported.
They will carry the flag at the opening ceremony in Dakar, Senegal, on 30 October, according to Tehran Times, which is Iranian and state-aligned. The report, published on 12 October, did not say who made the selection.
Tehran Times described Yari as a national futsal player. It said Iran has 29 qualification places at the Games.
The newspaper reported that Iranian athletes are in training camps. It said an intensive preparation programme was due to begin on Tuesday.
It also said the delegation's official farewell ceremony was due on Monday night, before departure for Senegal.
The report contained no quotes from the athletes or from Iran's National Olympic Committee. No response from either had been reported.
Faraji's place at the Games was reported in April by Tehran Times, which cited the International Table Tennis Federation. It said he won bronze at the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain.
The same report said he ranked in the world's top 10 in the under-19 International Table Tennis Federation rankings.
The fourth Youth Olympic Games run from 30 October to 16 November. Senegal is hosting them in three places: Dakar, Diamniadio and Saly.
Photo: Matt May from Seattle, WA, USA / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
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