Refugee Paralympic Team Shines at Paris 2024 Opening Ceremony
The Refugee Paralympic Team has captured significant attention at the Opening Ceremony of the Paris 2024 Paralympics, highlighting their remarkable journey and resilience alongside 4,400 athletes from around the globe. Guillaume Junior Atangana, a flagbearer and T11 para-athletics sprinter, represented the team, embodying the spirit of athletes who have triumphed over adversity.
Andrew Parsons, President of the International Paralympic Committee, lauded the team as a quintessential story of the event, emphasizing the compelling narratives that accompany each athlete. Filippo Grandi, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees, echoed this sentiment, stating that the Refugee Paralympic Team serves as a beacon of inspiration, overcoming severe hardships to reach the pinnacle of athletic achievement.
The eight athletes of the Refugee Paralympic Team, hailing from six nations, symbolize the plight of over 120 million individuals forced from their homes due to conflict, war, and human rights violations. This group includes approximately 18 million people with disabilities, who are particularly vulnerable to violence and discrimination while facing numerous challenges in accessing essential services and opportunities in sport and life. Grandi emphasized that the team’s participation sends a powerful message of hope, advocating for the inclusion of individuals with disabilities in society.
This marks the third appearance of the Refugee Paralympic Team, which began with two athletes at the Rio 2016 Paralympics, expanded to six at Tokyo 2020, and has grown to eight athletes, including two guide runners, competing across six sports: Para athletics, Para powerlifting, Para table tennis, Para taekwondo, Para triathlon, and wheelchair fencing.
Zakia Khudadadi, a champion in the 47kg Para taekwondo category, will be the first of these inspiring athletes to compete, determined to showcase the strength of women and inspire future generations. Alongside her, Hadi Hassanzada will also compete in the men’s 80kg Para taekwondo division, hoping to achieve notable success. As the flagbearer, Atangana honored his role by carrying the Paralympic flag, symbolizing determination to succeed after narrowly missing out on a medal at the Tokyo 2020 Paralympics.
Ibrahim Al Hussein enters his third consecutive games, shifting from swimming to his new discipline, the Para triathlon. Newcomer Salman Abbariki aims to make an impact in the Para athletics shot put, while Hadi Darvish looks to build upon his success in Para powerlifting following a bronze medal achievement at the Tbilisi 2024 World Cup. Notably, Sayed Amir Hossein Hosseini Pour aspires to continue his success in Para table tennis after previously securing two gold medals at the 2021 Asian Youth Para Games. Meanwhile, Amelio Castro Grueso, a wheelchair fencing competitor, hopes to replicate his prior success from the Americas Championship.
The Refugee Paralympic Team endeavors to emulate the historic success achieved by the Refugee Olympic Team in Paris, underscoring their commitment and resilience, as articulated by Khudadadi, who stated, “We have endured a great deal, yet we are here to achieve victory. We shall not concede defeat.” The United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR), in collaboration with the International Paralympic Committee, the International Olympic Committee, and the Olympic Refuge Foundation, is dedicated to supporting refugees’ participation in both the Olympics and Paralympics in Paris.
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