The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) on Tuesday announced the formation of a nine-member refugee team for the upcoming Paris 2024 Paralympics. Comprising eight athletes and one guide runner, the team will compete in taekwondo, athletics, triathlon, powerlifting, table tennis, and wheelchair fencing.

“The world has more than 120 million forcibly displaced people worldwide,” said IPC President Andrew Parsons. “Many live in dire conditions. These athletes have persevered and shown incredible determination to get to Paris 2024 and give every refugee around the world hope.”

Among the standout athletes is Ibrahim Al Hussein, who will be competing in his third Paralympics. Al Hussein, who arrived in Greece from Syria a decade ago, is transitioning from swimming to triathlon. He acknowledged the challenges, particularly the financial burden of acquiring the necessary equipment. “Sport has helped me integrate into society,” Al Hussein remarked.

Zakia Khudadadi and Hadi Hassanzada will represent the team in parataekwondo. Khudadadi, who competed for Afghanistan at the COVID-delayed Tokyo 2021 Games shortly after being evacuated due to the Taliban takeover, and Hassanzada, who fled Afghanistan after a failed attempt to return, have overcome significant adversity. “Living in the forests of Turkey with my friends in the cold of winter, there were times when I was close to death,” Hassanzada recalled in an IPC interview. He emphasized that his journey to the Paralympics demonstrates that “refugees can succeed despite all the problems they face.”

Guillaume Junior Atangana, a sprinter who previously competed for Cameroon in Tokyo before relocating to Britain, will participate in the 100m and 400m T11 events. His training was disrupted when his guide, fellow refugee Donard Ndim Nyamjua, was injured. “Many people wanted to be on the team. So, I have had to pull out all the stops to be the best,” Atangana stated.

Salman Abbariki will compete in track and field shot put at his second Paralympics. Hadi Darvish, a refugee from Iran, found success in powerlifting after locating a gym that accepted an athlete in a wheelchair without a bank account, winning a German title in 2022 against able-bodied competitors.

The team also includes Sayed Amir Hossein Pour, an accomplished table tennis player who won Asian junior titles representing Iran, and Amelio Castro Grueso, a wheelchair fencer.

Nyasha Mharakurwa, the team’s chef de mission who represented Zimbabwe in wheelchair tennis at the London 2012 Paralympics, praised the athletes’ resilience. “No matter how difficult their circumstances, these athletes have found a way to compete at the very highest level of Paralympic sport,” Mharakurwa said. “They are not just representing the forcibly displaced people worldwide but the world’s 1.2 billion persons with disabilities.”

The Opening Ceremony for the Paris 2024 Paralympics will be held on August 28, taking place along the iconic Champs-Elysees and in the Place de la Concorde in Paris.