Iranian Men's Basketball Players Receive Military-Service Exemptions After Winning Bronze [Nagoya AG]

[Financial News] Players on Iran's men's national basketball team will be exempt from military service after winning the bronze medal at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games.
On the 20th local time, Al Jazeera and AFP reported that Iran's national team would receive military-service exemptions after defeating China's national team 79–70 in the bronze-medal game.
Iran trailed China 31–29 at halftime but rallied in the third quarter to take the lead and win the game.
Iranian forward Arsalan Kazemi expressed his emotion, saying that although he had carried a heavy burden into the game, the victory had lifted it.
Another forward, Arman Zangeneh, said, "Winning a medal at the Asian Games means that they no longer have to serve in the military, which is a great gift for some players."
In Iran, men are required to serve two years of active-duty military service once they turn 18.
According to Iran's Tasnim News Agency, Iran previously granted military-service exemptions only to medalists at the Olympics or world championships. In 2018, Ali Khamenei, who was the supreme leader at the time, expanded eligibility to include Asian Games medalists.


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