Olympic fever: Syrian NGO hosts 'Paralympics' in Idlib

FRANCE 24 English

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00:00Maher still remembers the day that changed his life.

00:05I was injured by an airstrike by Syrian warplanes on my city,

00:09and as a result I lost my left hand.

00:16At age 15, he became disabled.

00:19But soon after, he found a new passion, football.

00:24After my injury, I decided to join the team for people with special needs.

00:29The team has players with stories similar to mine.

00:33Six years later, Maher is the goalkeeper of the Paris sports football team in Idlib.

00:39Many of his teammates also lost their limbs in regime bombings,

00:42but their trainer Omar is encouraging them to move on.

00:47We are people with a determination that no injury can destroy.

00:51Thanks to God, we play football despite the injuries and pain,

00:55and we show the world that Syrians can achieve excellence despite difficult circumstances.

01:07While the Paralympics in Paris are in full sway,

01:10these athletes are lightening an Olympic torch of their own.

01:14For the first time in this rebel enclave,

01:16a local NGO has organized a tournament for more than 300 people with special needs.

01:22They are competing in football, weightlifting, volleyball and swimming.

01:27From all over Syria, including Jarabulus, Afrin, Azaz, Idlib,

01:32athletes will participate for 10 days across 14 different disciplines,

01:36both individual and team events, with a lot of pride at stake.

01:41Conservative clerics and local political figures have criticized the event for being too westernized.

01:47But for athletes like Maher, these Paralympics are simply part of his quest for dignity.

01:55Disability isn't a weakness of the body, but rather a weakness of thought.

01:58Despite everything that happened to us and everything caused by Bashar al-Assad,

02:03we are able to do the impossible and be hopeful.

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