The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that eight athletes and one guide runner are set to compete in the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games as the largest-ever Refugee Paralympic Team.
According to UN News, Andrew Parsons, IPC President says all Paralympians have stories of incredible resilience but the stories of these athletes and their journeys as refugees surviving war and persecution to compete at the Paralympic Games is off-the-charts awe inspiring.
Representing more than 120 million forcibly displaced people and 1.2 billion with disabilities worldwide, these eight athletes are based in six countries and will compete across six sports – Para athletics, Para powerlifting, Para table tennis, Para taekwondo, Para triathlon, and wheelchair fencing.
“These athletes have persevered and shown incredible determination to get to Paris 2024 and give every refugee around the world hope. The Refugee Paralympic Team shines a spotlight on the transformational impact of sport,” Parsons added.
Now living in Italy, Amelio Castro Grueso is set to compete in wheelchair fencing in Paris.
After enduring the death of his mother in Colombia at only 16, he faced further tragedy just four years later when he lost the use of his legs in a traffic accident.
He was then forced to flee his homeland due to threats against him, arriving in a new country in a wheelchair without knowing the language spoken or anyone to help him.
After a long journey of recovery, he vowed to write a book to share his story – but realised that more people would read it if he were a medal-winning athlete.
Of his greatest sporting achievements to date, Grueso won bronze in the Men’s Epee Category B in the 2024 Wheelchair fencing America’s Championship in Brazil this May.
His experience has shown him that, even amid tremendous hardship, life’s most important lesson is to never give up.
