Jamal Valizadeh: From fight for survival to battle for glory at Paris Olympics

Wrestler who fled the Iranian regime and took the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean now aims to serve as an inspiration as part of Olympic Refugee Team

Iranian wrestler Jamal Valizadeh will be part of the Refugee Team at the Paris Olympics. AFP

The Paris Olympics are only a week away, and for athletes around the world it is an opportunity to put years of hard work to the test on the biggest stage.

It is a golden chance for Jamal Valizadeh as well, but not just to excel in his discipline. The wrestler is out to show that adversity has not diminished his hunger, having fled the Iranian regime a decade back.

Valizadeh was national-level wrestler and a youth champion in Greco-Roman wrestling in his homeland. But he was forced to flee Iran in search of better life, leaving his family and friends behind.

In 2014, he landed in Turkey where he had to work 16 hours a day for barely enough money to make ends meet. But he endured the pain as he had to continue his journey in search of a better life.

After months of hardship, Valizadeh took the decision to undertake the dangerous journey across the Mediterranean Sea by boat in the middle of winter.

During the journey, the vessel he was on began to sink, forcing him overboard. He had to swim the remaining few hundred metres.

He somehow landed in France safe, but with nothing to survive on. In 2016, he applied for refugee status and it was granted a few months later.

Valizadeh started his life from scratch. He was a champion in Iran in the under 55kg category for three consecutive years, until 2013. And now, he could resume his dream of competing at international level.

Last year, after eight years out of the sport, he decided to pick wrestling up again.

“That decision changed my life,” Valizadeh told Olympics.com. “When I arrived in France, I didn't speak French and I didn't know anyone. I decided to find a wrestling club, and that helped me to learn French, and get back to a normal life.”

Valizadeh quickly picked up where he had left off. In May this year, he was named in the Olympic Refugee Team for Paris 2024 and will compete in Greco-Roman wrestling.

Today, the 33 year old trains with the French national team for up to 13 sessions a week, while studying for a master's degree in computer science.

"I’m trying hard to make up for lost time as all the other wrestlers have been training for the past 10 years," he says.

Valizadeh has been competing in major competitions in places like Istanbul and Belgrade, making him reflect on how far he has come since his battle for survival.

“One day I was there [Turkey] as a refugee, but now I'm going there to try and qualify for an Olympic Games. Going back was really hard for me as I was in such a dark place when I was last there. But I’m so proud of where I am now.”

Valizadeh knows he has to give it his all, not just for all the sacrifices he has made, but also for the millions of refugees all across the world. He is one of the 37-member refugee team at the Paris Games, 14 of whom are from Iran.

"My message to other refugees is to never lose hope. Just continue to follow your dreams because everything is possible,” he said.

"We say that because the world is round, one day you can be at the lowest point, but the next day you can pass at the same point but you are literally on top of the world. It’s exactly like this for me in my life.

"One day I was there with nothing, helpless. But just years later, I was fighting for a place at the Olympic Games. Everyone can achieve their dreams, too.”

Olympic Refugee Team athletes

Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, practices at the Lotta Club Seggiano gym in Pioltello, Italy. Mahdavi fled his home country in October 2020. Now, he will compete in Paris as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. AP

Iranian wrestler Iman Mahdavi, 28, is part of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team for the Paris Games. AP

Syrian refugee Mohammad Amin Alsalami, 29, trains at the Wilmersdorf Stadium in Berlin. He now compete in Paris as part of the Refugee Olympic Team. AP

Syrian refugee Mohammad Amin Alsalami trains at the Wilmersdorf Stadium in Berlin. After leaving his war-torn hometown of Aleppo, he made it by foot to Germany through Turkey, Greece and the Balkans in 2015. AP

Mohammad Amin Alsalami trains for the Paris Olympics. AP

Manizha Talash, originally from Afghanistan, practices outside the Parish of the Inmaculado Corazon de Maria in Madrid. The 21-year-old will compete with the Refugee Olympic Team at the Paris Olympics, where breaking has been included for the first time. AP

Manizha Talash practices in Madrid for the Paris Olympics. AP

Manizha Talash, originally from Afghanistan, outside the Parish of the Inmaculado Corazon de Maria in Madrid, where she was granted asylum. AP

Rower Fernando Dayan Jorge paddles his canoe during a training session ahead of the Paris Olympics. Jorge, who will compete in canoe sprint for the Refugee team, rowed for his native country Cuba at the Rio 2016 and the Toyko 2020 Olympics, where he won a gold medal in men's canoe double 1000m and finished seventh in the singles event. AP

Fernando Dayan Jorge during a training session ahead of the Paris Olympics. AP