Paralympics 2024 are set to begin in Paris next week where athletes from around the world, having defied several obstacles in life, will gather for one of the biggest sporting events of the world.
Paris Paralympics 2024 is set to be a multi-sport event that will run from 28 August to 8 September 2024. 184 nations are expected to take part at the 2024 Paralympics including the refugee team. The athletes of the Refugee team are those who have been displaced from their home countries and forced to flee to another one for shelter and livelihood.
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Paris Games is set to feature the biggest Refugee Paralympic Team with eight athletes and one guide runner which will be representing over 120 million forcibly displaced people and 1.2 billion with disabilities worldwide.
All Paralympians have stories of incredible resilience but the stories of these athletes and their journeys as refugees surviving war and persecution to compete at the Paralympic Games is off-the-charts awe inspiring,” Andrew Parsons, International Paralympic Committee (IPC) President said.
The Refugee team, all of whom have fled war-zone and persecution in their native countries, are set to compete in six sports including para-athletics, para-powerlifting, para-table tennis, para-taekwondo, para-triathlon, and wheelchair fencing at the Paris Paralympics 2024.
Ibrahim Al Hussein, a Syrian para-triathlete, sought refuge in Greece after losing his right foot and parts of his left foot during the 2012 civil war that ravaged his country. However, the devastating situation of his hometown has not dampened the fighting spirit of the brave-heart.
“I left Syria in a wheelchair, and I want to send a message of perseverance and hope to everyone who feels miserable or bad about themselves,” Al Hussein told reporters.
Zakia Khudadadi, the only woman in the team, is gearing up for her second Paralympic Games. She became the first Afghan female athlete to compete in a global sporting event since the Taliban took over power in Afghanistan.
Khudadadi, who was born without a forearm, began practicing taekwondo at age 11 and overcame various obstacles along her journey.
“Life for all girls and women in Afghanistan is forbidden. It’s over. “I’m here to win a medal in Paris for them. I want to show strength to all women and girls in Afghanistan,” she said.
Paralympians representing the refugee team are Guillaume Junior Atangana and guide Donard Ndim Nyamjua (athletics), Zakia Khudadadi (taekwondo), Hadi Hassanzada (taekwondo), Salman Abbariki (athletics), Ibrahim Al Hussein (triathlon), Sayed Amir Hossein Pour (table tennis), Hadi Darvish (powerlifting), and Amelio Castro Grueso (fencing).
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Filippo Grandi , the United Nations high commissioner for refugees said, “For a third consecutive Paralympics, a team of determined, inspirational refugee athletes will show the world just what they can achieve if given the chance”.
The Refugee Paralympic Team team will compete under the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) flag and be the first to enter the parade at the opening ceremony on 28 August.
