Out of the ashes. Defeating wars legacy and chasing the Paralympic dream

There are less than 100 days until the start of the Paris Paralympics, an event that showcases some of the toughest sportsmen and women in the world.

   

But it was only after WW2 that it was widely introduced. The purpose of it at that time was to assist veterans who had been injured during the war. 

On 29/7/1948, the day of the Opening Ceremony of the London Olympic Games, Dr. Ludwig Guttmann held the first Stoke Mandeville Games - a milestone in Paralympic history.

 

Overcoming adversity is second nature to every Paralympian. But for one Palestinian cyclist, the race even to get to the start line has meant escaping a war zone and leaving his young family behind in Gaza. 

Alaa al-Dali was an Olympic hopeful until he lost his leg in 2019. Now Alaa is determined to get a wild card to Paris to show that losing a limb doesn’t mean losing your hopes and dreams too.

   

In 2007, Iraqi footballers Ahmed Naser and his teammate Ihab Kareem went shopping in Baghdad for new soccer boots before the Iraqi Premier League season began. By the end of the day, Kareem was dead and Naser had no legs.

   

Brad Snyder’s grandparents served in the U.S. Navy and he was determined to continue that tradition. After graduating from the U.S. Naval Academy, Snyder served tours of Iraq and Afghanistan where he diffused bombs. 

Paralympian Brad Snyder, a blind Navy veteran, defied the odds by competing for Team USA at three Paralympic Games after losing his vision in combat. Now, Brad embarks on a new adventure as he embraces the role of a devoted father to his new baby girl.