Tasnim - Iran football 5-a-side captain Behzad Zadaliasghari is among Ones to Watch for 2017.
Zadaliasghari was outstanding for the Iranian team at Rio 2016 as the team became the first Asian country to win a football 5 medal at the Paralympic Games.
Selected in partnership with International Blind Sports Federation (IBSA) the Ones to Watch athletes are individuals who have the potential to make the headlines in football 5 during the next Paralympic cycle ahead of the Tokyo 2020 Paralympic Games.
The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) started the process of announcing Ones to Watch athletes for all 22 Paralympic summer sports for 2017, beginning with archery and wheelchair rugby.
With one eye on the next Paralympic Games, many of this year’s Ones to Watch are young athletes who will develop between now and Tokyo 2020. Others are Paralympic and world medallists looking to stay at the top of their game.
Between now and 19 January, the IPC will announce Ones to Watch athletes in two sports each day.
Around 230 athletes from 22 sports will be named Ones to Watch for 2017 in an effort to make it easier for the public and media to understand which athletes to look out for.