Refugee Athletes Deliver 'A Message Of Perseverance' As They Seek Medals At Paris Paralympics

REIMS, France (AP) — Athletes on Refugee Paralympic Team are looking to send a message of hope as y strive for podium at 2024 Paralympic Games that begin in Paris next week.

Eight Paralympians and one runner guide who fled conflict and persecution in ir homelands are hoping to earn medals in six sports: para-athletics, para-powerlifting, para-table tennis, para-taekwondo, para-triathlon, and wheelchair fencing.

Among m is Ibrahim Al Hussein, a Syrian athlete who will be competing in para-triathlon. Al Hussein lost his right foot and parts of his left foot in 2012 during civil war that ravaged his country and forced him to flee to Greece.

“I left Syria in a wheelchair and I want to send a message of perseverance and hope to everyone who feels miserable or b about mselves,” Al Hussein told Associated Press from team’s training camp in Reims.

Like many on his team, he wants to prove that anything is possible, despite challenges that come with being both disabled and uprooted from your home.

Living in crowded refugee camps for years with little or no access to training centers, Al Hussein and ors overcame many obstacles to reach top sporting competitions.

Hi Darvish a para-powerlifter from Iran, initially couldn't access a gym where he was living in Germany because he lacked a bank account due to his pending refugee status. But he kept trying until he found a place where he could train. His persistence paid off. In 2022 he won first place in German National Championships among able-bodied competitors.

Guillaume Junior Atangana thought that his dreams of becoming a professional athlete h been dashed when he lost his eyesight. But inste of ending his sporting career, he discovered that running with help of a guide could take him even furr.

“I’ve been able to put in some great performances that some able-bodied people can’t manage,” he told AP. “I’m very happy about that.”

After finishing fourth in 400 meters at 2020 Tokyo Paralympic Games, Atangana hopes to snatch a medal this time.

Zakia Khudi , only woman on team and who in Tokyo became first Afghan female athlete to compete in an international sporting event after Taliban took back control of her country, will also be taking part in her second Paralympic Games.

Born without a forearm, Khudi began practicing taekwondo at age of 11, kicking through obstacles that presented mselves as she grew up.

“Life for all girls and women in Afghanistan is forbidden. It’s over,” Khudi told AP earlier this month. “I’m here to win a medal in Paris for m. I want to show strength to all women and girls in Afghanistan."

Refugee Paralympic Team will be first delegation to march at Opening Ceremony taking place along Champs-Elysees on Aug. 28. ___

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