The Olympics are approaching and, once those are complete, the Paralympics will follow. The NY Times reports that Iraq, unable to field much of an Olympic team because of the ongoing violence in the country, will send a sizeable delegation to the Paralympics. Many of the Iraqi Paralympians became disabled in the same epidemic of violence that has shattered the country’s Olympic hopes. One wheelchair fencing coach notes that Iraqi Paralympic team is better than its Olympic team.
The article notes that most of these athletes were street beggars before joining the team, underscoring the fact that Iraq continues to present an overwhelmingly hostile environment for its citizens with disabilities. And once the Paralympics are over, there’s a good chance that many of them will be forced to return to that life.
