Attended by eight teams, the second edition of Canny Elevator Cup International Basketball Challenge also known as the 2016 Atlas Challenge kicked off on Tuesday at the Suzhou Sports Center in Suzhou of China.
In their first encounter, the Iranian outfit managed to overcome Macedonia 80-75 by offering excellent sportive performances in the international basketball tournament.
Iran coach Dirk Bauermann took advantage of Behnam Yakhchali, Mohammad Jamshidi, Arsalan Kazemi, Oshin Sahakian as well as Hamed Haddadi in the fixture against Macedonia.
Basketball players of Iran will play their second match today on Wednesday against the US.
Iran has been seeded in Group B along with a participant from the United States, Idaho Vandals, Lithuania and Macedonia while Group A consists of host China, Japan, New Zealand and Belarus.
The Iranian team finished runner-up in the 2015 edition of the sportive event after conceding a defeat against host China in the final round.
National team of Iran is preparing for the FIBA Olympic Qualifying Tournament which will be held in Turin from July 4 to 9.
HA/3686248