Dubai 2025 Asian Youth Para Games became a stage of pride and emotion as young Para athletes from Arab nations – Saudi Arabia, Iraq, and the UAE – shared their journeys which are shaped by hardship, hope, and the belief that sports can rebuild lives.
For Saudi Arabia, three first-time international athletes – Al Baraa bin Muhmal (19 years, F46), Eyad Diab (14 years, F57), and Faisal Mubarak Almarzuk (15 years, F46) – arrived in Dubai with determination shining in their eyes. All three made their debut at Dubai, and their shared excitement was unmistakable.
“Yes, and Inshallah, we will do our best,” they said with confidence.
Their paths to sport were born from deeply personal experiences. Al Baraa survived a car accident in 2013 that changed his life forever, but he found strength in athletics.
“I picked this sport because I found myself in it, and my grandmother supported me,” he said.
Eyad’s story carried similar pain – he lost his leg in an accident while his family was traveling to Makkah.
“My father was a big help,” he said. “He advised me to play instead of just doing nothing.”
Faisal was born without his right leg and discovered javelin through his university.
“They called me and advised me to do it,” he said. “Then I started.”
Despite the challenges, the athletes noted that opportunities for Para sports in Saudi Arabia are growing. “For me there were clubs for people of determination, then there was the help of the university,” one of them shared.
From Iraq, Nada Taha Mahmoud (18 years, F56) also stepped into her first international competition in Para athletics. Born with her disability, she was scouted in an unexpected way.
“I was posting on Facebook,” she said, “and a manager of one of the clubs suggested that I play – I liked it.”
Standing proudly in Dubai, Nada said she was thrilled to be here: “Yes, for sure,” she added with a smile, “Yes, I loved it,” when asked about the city.
Her family, she said, shared in her happiness: “They were happy.”
A first-year Fine Arts student, Nada is clear about her dreams – “Paralympics.”
Representing the UAE, Hamdan Hussain Mhamed (18 years, T37) came from Umm Al Quwain after just four months of training – already competing in the 100m, 200m, and 800m events.
He described how the sport changed him: “I felt really good, like I’m giving something.”
Now finished with school, he hopes athletics will take him far. “My goal is the Paralympics,” he said.
And wearing his national colors in Dubai filled him with pride: “Yes, for sure,” he said. “I am proud.”
Together, these young athletes – each shaped by personal trials, each driven by family support, and each fuelled by massive dreams – embody the spirit of the Asian Youth Para Games. Their voices, filled with honesty and hope, echo a message far bigger than sport: that courage can turn challenges into opportunity, and dreams into reality.
The Para Athletics action began today with aroun 400 athetes from 29 countries competing at the Dubai Club for People of Determination.
