Bardia Mirzaei's road rose already in the first match on 9.3. at the Olympic qualifying tournament held in Sofia, Bulgaria. Macedonia Peruncic was stronger 2-1.
Coach Kim Sinisalo's comment about the match:
”Olympiakarsintaturnaukseen valmistava kausi oli Bardian osalta nousujohteinen. Harjoitukselliset sisällöt onnistuivat, kilpailullinen rutiini ja suoritustaso kohosivat uudelle tasolle ja urheilijan minäkuva rakentui luonnollisen itsevarmuuden alustalle. Sofian olympiakarsintaturnaus oli jatkumoa tälle asetelmalle.
The first-timer of the prestigious competition stepped into Kasikulmio firmly and justifiably confident in himself. The smooth play of the first set was won by the nimble-footed and moderately experienced Montenegrin Perunicic with a narrow point difference. In the second set, Bardia found the pre-marked places and pressed more gas appropriately. The opponent was left with a clear margin. The last set was a physical battle and excellent hits from both sides, but this time the scoreboard flickered more on Perunicic's side. The final result 2-1 was a disappointing loss, but an excellent first touch to the prestigious competition. The journey to the medals is again a little shorter."