Asia's top Paralympics competitors showcase stunning feats of athleticism and sportsmanship, while also educating people on Disability rights
The United Nations marked December 3 as the International Day for Persons with Disabilities, observed every year to celebrate the concept of Disability inclusion and to educate the public on the issues and concerns of the community. “Disability inclusion is an essential condition to upholding human rights, sustainable development, and peace and security,” read a press release from the UN to mark the day.
Besides International Disability Day, perhaps the most prominent global event for the Disability community are the Games of the Paralympiad, also known as the Paralympics. Held following the Olympic Games, the Paralympics gathers the world’s best athletes who have a range of physical disabilities, competing in sports spread out over a number of categories.
The precursor to the Paralympics was a small sports event for British World War II veterans with spinal cord injuries. Held in 1948, it was called the International Wheelchair Games and was envisioned to be an elite sports competition for persons with disabilities (PWDs). These games evolved into the first international competition for injured war veterans and were subsequently known as the Stoke Mandeville Games.
The first official Paralympic Games was held in Rome in 1960, following the Olympics. Though the Stoke Mandeville Games were also held that year, the Paralympics opened up the field to athletes who were not war veterans. Four hundred athletes from 23 countries competed at the first Paralympics; at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, there were a total of 4,520 athletes from 163 countries and territories.
Anyone who's ever been a spectator at a Disability sport will know that these games require just as much athletic prowess—and sometimes more so—as their mainstream counterparts. While the dream remains for Paralympians to be recognised on the same level as Olympic athletes, the elite sportsmen with disabilities who have been recognised on the Asia's Most Influential list are carrying the proverbial and literal torch for inclusivity in the Games.
Also read: Human Rights Day: Celebrating Asian Advocates Who Are Fighting for Dignity and Equality
Ziyad Zolkefli, Malaysia
Muhammad Ziyad Zolkefli is the world's leading para athlete in shotput, competing in the F20 category, and holds the world record in the event. He was with the Malaysian team at the 2012 Paralympics in London, where he brought home the bronze in his sport. His throw of 17.94m would have set a new world record if not for the unfortunate fact that his performance had been deemed DNS (Did Not Start) as he had shown up three minutes late for the event. Nonetheless, Ziyad Zolkefl's previous throw of 17.92m at the World Para Athletics Championship in 2017 is the world record, having rewritten his own 16.84m throw at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio.
His career has been marked by many firsts and many medials. He first shot-put to fame at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London, where he took home the bronze. A year later, he surpassed his personal best to earn the gold at the first International Paralympic Committee (IPC) World Championships in Lyon, France. He won the gold at the IPC again in 2017. Since then, Ziyad has won the gold twice at the Asian Para Games (2018, 2014), and four times at the ASEAN Para Games (2022, 2017, 2015, 2014).
Ziyad was born in Selangor, and was identified as having an intellectual impairment in pre-school. He is married to Zafira Nasir, with whom he has two children.
The paralympic athlete was named to the Kesatria Mangku Negara (Order of the Defender of the Realm) in 2017, following his medal-winning performance at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games.
Read Ziyad Zolkefli's full profile on Asia's Most Influential
