Palestine at the 2016 Summer Paralympics
Palestine at the 2016 Summer Paralympics | ||
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Flag bearer Husam Azzam | | |
Medals |
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Summer Paralympics appearances (overview) | ||
Palestine sent a delegation to compete at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, from 7–18 September 2016. This was the fifth time they had taken part in a Paralympic Games after its debut sixteen years prior at the 2000 Summer Paralympics. Palestine sent one athlete to Rio de Janeiro shot put thrower Husam Azzam, who was the flag bearer for Palestine at the parade of nations during the opening ceremony. He did not win his third Paralympic medal because he ranked eighth out of ten athletes with a throw of 6.34 metres in the men's shot put F53 competition.
Background
Palestine's first Olympic appearance was at the 1996 Atlanta Summer Olympics.[1] It made its Paralympic debut four years later at the 2000 Summer Paralympics in Sydney, Australia.[2] They have entered every Summer Paralympic Games since, making Rio de Janeiro its fifth appearance at a Summer Paralympiad.[3] Entering the Rio Games, Palestine had won a total of three Paralympic medals in the sport of athletics.[2] The 2016 Summer Paralympics were held from 7–18 September 2016 with a total of 4,328 athletes representing 159 National Paralympic Committees taking part.[4] Palestine sent a solitary athlete to compete in Rio de Janeiro, shot put thrower Husam Azzam.[5] He was accompanied by chef de mission Ihsan Dikidk, Azzam's coach Mohammed Dahman, chairman of the technical committee of the Palestinian Paralympic Committee Ali Al-Nizli and former secretary general of the committee Alaa Al-Shatli.[6] Azzam was chosen to be the flag bearer for the parade of nations during the opening ceremony.[5]
Disability classifications
Every participant at the Paralympics has their disability grouped into one of five
Athletics
Husam Azzam's is disabled from contracting
Nevertheless, following the intervention of the IPC, Azzam and his coach Mohammed Daham were permitted to leave the Gaza StrIp on 3 September and the pair arrived in Rio de Janeiro two days later.[11] He said before the Paralympics that he was looking forward to competing at the Rio Games and he sought to claim a gold medal, "I look forward to the competition and challenge all the conditions and difficulties I will face and hope to win a gold medal for Palestine at the Paralympic Games, despite the difficulties I face as a Palestinian athlete living in the Gaza Strip."[13] On 14 September, Azzam competed in the men's shot put F53 event. He recorded a season best throw of 6.34 metres, which ranked him eighth out of ten entered athletes.[14]
- Men's Field
Athlete | Events | Result | Rank |
---|---|---|---|
Husam Azzam | Shot Put F53 | 6.34 | 8[14] |
See also
References
- ^ "Palestine". Sports Reference. Archived from the original on 12 June 2017. Retrieved 2 November 2018.
- ^ a b c "Shot put Paralympian from Gaza aims for gold in Rio". Middle East Monitor. 8 September 2016. Archived from the original on 15 August 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "Palestine at the Paralympic Games". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "Rio 2016". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 20 July 2018. Retrieved 16 August 2018.
- ^ a b "الفلسطيني "حسام عزام" يمثل بلاده وحيداً بدورة الألعاب البارالمبية "ريو 2016"". MasrAlarabia (in Arabic). 7 September 2016. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ "بعثة فلسطين البارالمبية غادرت قطاع غزة للمشاركة في ريو دي جانيرو ( البرازيل) المزيد على دنيا الوطن". Donia Al-Watan (in Arabic). 30 August 2016. Archived from the original on 31 August 2016. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ McGarry, Andrew (3 September 2008). "Paralympics categories explained". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. Archived from the original on 12 September 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ "Making sense of the categories". BBC Sport. 6 October 2000. Archived from the original on 28 May 2008. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ "A-Z of Paralympic classification". BBC Sport. 28 August 2008. Archived from the original on 1 March 2009. Retrieved 25 December 2015.
- ^ a b "Azzam Husam – Athlete Bio". International Paralympic Committee. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ a b c Tawfig, Mousa (16 September 2016). "This Paralympian from Gaza lives under an Israeli siege. Now he's competing in Rio". Middle East Eye. Archived from the original on 13 February 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- Al-Ayyam (in Arabic). 4 July 2016. Archivedfrom the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ ""التأمين الوطنية" تدعم اللاعب حسام عزام ممثل فلسطين بالألعاب البارالمبية" (in Arabic). Palestinian Broadcasting Corporation. 6 September 2016. Archived from the original on 21 October 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.
- ^ a b "ممثل فلسطين بدورة الألعاب البارالمبية يتأهل للدور الثاني في دفع الجلة" (in Arabic). Palestinian News & Info Agency. 15 September 2016. Archived from the original on 1 November 2018. Retrieved 1 November 2018.