RIO DE JANEIRO: A Syrian swimmer and an Iranian discus thrower who fled their countries will form the refugee team at the Rio Paralympics next month, organisers said on Friday.
Ibrahim Al Hussein, 27, who lost his leg in a rocket strike during the Syrian conflict will swim in the 50m and 100m freestyle in the Games which start on September 7. He will march behind the Paralympic flag with Shahrad Nasajpour, an Iranian with cerebral palsy who has sought asylum in the United States.
Hussein carried the Olympic torch in his new homeland in Greece when it passed through a refugee camp in Athens in April. He only found out recently that he would be in the Paralympics. “I was so happy I couldn’t sit still,” he said. “I wanted to sleep, but I couldn’t. It was such a wonderful feeling.”
Hussein has been swimming with a Greek league for athletes with disabilities. He walks with a prosthetic leg that a private doctor in Greece gave him. His swimming times are a few seconds off his personal bests from when he had use of both legs. But he said they are still improving.
As with the Olympics in Rio this month, it will be the first time a refugee team will take part in the Paralympics. More than 4,300 para-athletes are expected to take part.
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