Reims (France), Aug 29 As they finalise preparations for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, members of the Refugee Paralympic Team have been taking part in a training camp at the Centre for Resources, Expertise and Sports Performance (CREPS) here.
Organised by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) with the support of the French Ministry of Sport and the Olympic and Paralympic Games and Paris 2024, the training camp will run from August 12 to 21 and is the first time the athletes have come together as one team.
In addition to final training sessions and providing access to sports medicine experts at CREPS, the athletes have been taking part in team bonding sessions, doing interviews with the world’s media, and receiving the official Asics kit they will wear during the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, the IPC informed in a release on Monday.
Paris 2024 marks the third successive Paralympic Games the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has assembled a Refugee Paralympic Team. According to London 2012 Paralympian and Refugee Paralympic Team Chef de Mission, Nyasha Mharakurwa, the group is the best prepared yet.
“It has been fantastic to bring the team together for the first time to benefit from such world-class sports facilities at CREPS in Reims as we put the finishing touches on our preparations for the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games,” Mharakurwa was quoted as saying by the IPC in the release.
Worldwide Paralympic partner, Airbnb, is the RPT Official Partner and since Tokyo 2020 has been supporting the IPC’s efforts to bring the team to the Games, providing individual support to each athlete to enable them to focus on their training and perform at their best.
“The IPC has been determined to ensure this is the best prepared RPT yet and this first-ever training camp for the RPT has ensured our team is as ready as possible thanks to the incredible hospitality of our hosts,” Mharakurwa said.
“I’m really proud of how quickly the athletes have come together. On paper, we thought this might be a challenge bearing in mind the diversity of the team and the differences in language and culture. In reality, however, they have built relationships and shown support for each other from day one, united by the fact that at Paris 2024 they are part of something much bigger than themselves,” the release said.
The team of eight athletes and two guide runners is the largest Refugee Paralympic Team in history and will compete in six different sports and boasts a wealth of experience. Four of the athletes have competed at previous Paralympic Games, including Para triathlete Ibrahim Al Hussein.
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