In Syria, local Paralympic games bring hope and joy to disabled athletes

Idlib, Syria – Abdul Qader Youssef stands on the sidelines, leaning on his crutches and looking nervously at the pitch. Then he heads towards his teammates to encourage them before kickoff of their first match of the competition.

Youssef has been playing football since he was eight, but the 30-year-old only lost his leg 10 years ago.

“I’ve loved football since I was a child and this love still flows through my veins,” he said.

He used to play for al-Karamah – one of Asia’s oldest football clubs based in Homs, Syria – until 2011’s Arab Spring.

President Bashar al-Assad’s government responded to protests by killing hundreds of demonstrators and imprisoning many more.

“With the start of the Syrian revolution, I stopped playing football for nearly four years,” he recalled.

Youssef and his family were displaced to northern Syria in 2014 after nearly two years of siege by al-Assad regime forces.

“A year after our displacement, an Assad regime air strike hit Idlib … my right leg was amputated,” Youssef said.

Can’t give up

“It was a shock [but] I couldn’t afford to give up. Amputees suffer society’s perception. Some mock us, others pity us.”

Youssef started looking for work to support his family, working as a barber and a taxi driver, but he never forgot his love for football.

In 2016, he teamed up with friends to form a football team, Al Tahaddi (Defiance).

Youssef was finally able to return to the football pitch, an “indescribable feeling”, he said, “especially since we were all amputees, it gave me hope”.

Al Tahaddi began playing against other teams in Idlib and Aleppo, unable to go to international tournaments because of financial and logistical problems.

As the world’s leading athletes lined up for the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris, Youssef and Al Tahaddi participated in the first local Paralympics, organised by Syrian NGO Violet.

More than 300 athletes marched in the opening ceremony on August 27 at the municipal stadium in Idlib.

“These 333 heroes – men, women and children – will compete across five venues in northwestern Syria,” Violet’s Ibrahim Sarmeni told Al Jazeera.

The games include karate, table tennis, swimming, goalball, football, volleyball, chess, powerlifting and para-athletics.

“A large crowd attended the opening, reflecting the community’s belief in supporting war victims and people with disabilities,” Sarmeni said.

‘The beginning’

In their first game, Al Tahaddi were up against top contender Al Ruwad, who had a strong start with goals in the third and 12th minutes.

Al-Ruwad maintained their 2-0 lead until the 25th minute when Youssef dribbled past two players and passed to his teammate, who slotted it home.

At half-time, Youssef lamented his team’s slow start but was hopeful they would make a comeback in the second half.

But as the second half began, Al Tahaddi collapsed, conceding two more goals in the first 10 minutes.

While they managed one more goal, the match ended with a 5-2 win for Al Ruwad and Al Tahaddi were eliminated.

Youssef was disappointed but hasn’t lost all hope.

“This championship will serve as the beginning for Al Tahaddi.”