The Iraqi National Paralympic Committee announced today the expansion of its pioneering “Paralympic Talent Discovery” program to include five new governorates: Najaf, Karbala, Dhi Qar, Maysan, and Salah al-Din. This expansion follows the great success achieved by the program in the governorates of Baghdad, Basra, and Nineveh last year, which resulted in the discovery of more than 45 new athletic talents integrated into national training programs. The program aims to search for people with disabilities aged 12-25, assess their athletic abilities, and direct them toward appropriate sports. The discovery process includes fitness tests, functional assessment, introduction to Paralympic classification systems,...

Iraqi Paralympic sport achieved an unprecedented historic milestone today as the national men’s wheelchair basketball team officially qualified for the 2024 Summer Paralympic Games in Paris. This qualification came after an exceptional performance at the Asian Qualification Tournament in Bangkok, where the Iraqi team managed to defeat their traditional rival Iran with a score of 68-64 in the decisive match. The team is led by veteran coach Qusay Al-Alawi and includes a group of elite players who have trained tirelessly at Al-Mansour Sports Complex over the past three years. This achievement represents Iraq’s first participation in wheelchair basketball at the...