Fadi J. S. Aldeeb (Arabic: فادي الديب; born 1 September 1984) is a Palestinian para-athlete. He competed at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in the F55 shot put event and was the only Palestinian representative at the games.
| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Native name | فادي الديب |
| Born | 1 September 1984 Shuja'iyya, Gaza City, Palestine |
| Sport | |
| Country |  Palestine |
| Sport | Para-athletics |
| Disability class | F55 |
| Event | Shot put |
Biography
editAldeeb was born on 1 September 1984 in Shuja'iyya, Gaza City.[1][2] He started competing in sports at age 10 and was coached by Mohammed Al-Sheikh Khalil.[2] Aldeeb was a member of a local club and competed in football, volleyball and tennis.[2] He entered the Palestine national volleyball team at age 16.[2]
Aldeeb studied computer science and was prepared to enroll at Al-Azhar University in Gaza in 2001.[3] During the Second Intifada, in October 2001, Aldeeb was shot in the back by an Israeli sniper, fracturing his T11 and T12 vertebra and leaving him paralyzed.[4] He spent 14 months in two hospitals recovering from his injuries.[5] In 2004, he began playing wheelchair basketball, and he started participating in para-athletics in 2007, specializing in shot put, discus throw and the javelin throw.[3][5] He competed internationally in para-athletics and won six medals at the Tunis International Athletics Meetings for the Disabled.[3]
Aldeeb competed in wheelchair basketball in France, Turkey and Greece.[3] He was a member of the Paris-based club Hurricane 92 Basketball as of 2024 and also coached the fourth and fifth squads of the club Paris Basket Fauteuil.[3] He was selected for the Palestine national team in 2019.[3] Due to the Israel-Palestine conflict, he has not spent time in Gaza since 2014, and lives in France.[5]
Aldeeb attempted to make the 2012 Summer Paralympics, but was unable to due to a shoulder injury.[5] During the 2024 Israel–Hamas war, 17 members of his family were killed, including his brother and two nephews.[4][3][5] He was invited to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics and competed in the F55 shot put event.[1][3] He was the only Palestinian at the 2024 Paralympics and, as such, carried the Palestinian flag at the opening Paralympic ceremony.[5][6] He finished with a placement of 10th in his event.[1]
References
edit- ^ a b c "Aldeeb Fadi". Paralympic.org.
- ^ a b c d "فادي الديب.. تحدى رصاصة قناصة الاحتلال ليرفع راية فلسطين" [Fadi Al-Deeb.. He challenged the occupation sniper's bullets to raise the Palestinian flag] (in Arabic). Al Araby. 30 August 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h Everett, Mariamne (29 August 2024). "From Gaza to Paris: Paralympian Fadi Deeb vows to show 'Palestine is not dying'". France 24.
- ^ a b Shireen, Ahmed (30 August 2024). "Gaza's Fadi Aldeeb sparks 'inclusion revolution' as lone Palestinian Paralympian". CBC.ca.
- ^ a b c d e f Ramsay, George; Riddell, Don (30 August 2024). "Fadi Aldeeb, the sole Palestinian Paralympic athlete, wants to show that 'there is also life' in Gaza". CNN.
{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link) - ^ Zirin, Dave; Boykoff, Jules (2 August 2024). "Meet Fadi Deeb: Gaza's Paralympian Is Showing the World That Palestine Still Lives". The Nation.
{{cite news}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)