The UAE’s most decorated Olympian of all time, the powerlifter Mohammed Khalaf, 47, is a role model for what can be achieved when people with disabilities are given the chance to shine.
Born in Qatar, the double-Paralympic gold medal holder lost use of his legs after contracting polio and spent the first decade of his life hidden from view by his parents, as were many disabled people of his generation. But at age 10, the family moved to Abu Dhabi, where he underwent rehabilitation and studied at a mainstream government school. When he won gold at the last Olympics, many people in the UAE – both able and disabled – cheered him on from their living rooms.
“People in the UAE were very supportive of the Paralympics this year,” says Theban Almhairi, secretary general of the UAE’s Paralympic committee. “We thought that nobody would be following us in Rio, but when we started winning medals, we realised that we had a lot of people supporting us back home, and we were very happy about it. Actually, when we arrived home, His Highness Sheikh Mohamed bin Zayed invited us to his house to congratulate us.”
This year’s UAE Paralympic team earned a record seven medals, which was more than their able-bodied Olympic counterparts. Reinforcing the country’s commitment to its Paralympians, Abu Dhabi is hosting 400 delegates for the International Paralympic Committee (IPC)’s General Assembly in September, where a new IPC President will be chosen.
It'll be easier for the disabled to get around town in the future too, as new building code and bylaws will be introduced this month to ensure that every building in Dubai is accessible to people with disabilities.
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