Iraqi wheelchair fencer, Ammar Hadi Ali has been announced as one of six nominees shortlisted by the International Paralympic Committee (IPC) for the Whang Youn Dai Achievement Award (WYDAA).

The award named after Dr. Whang Youn Dai, a leading advocate for people with impairments for more than 50 years has been awarded since the 1988 Seoul Paralympic Games to inspire people with impairments, and the world, to achieve excellence in sports and in life.  

The award will be presented to two Paralympians – a male and a female – who best exemplify the spirit of the games and the Paralympic values and seeks to honour Paralympians who see beyond their limitations and who have the vision to change the world through sports and Paralympic Games. They will each receive pure gold medals weighing 75 grams.

Ammar Hadi Ali won Iraq’s only wheelchair fencing medal in the Men’s Individual Epee (Cat B) on 13 September in a tense final against Belarus’ Andrei Pranevich.

Born in the southern Iraqi city of Basra, 31-year-old Ali admits that life is not easy, but has committed his future to Iraq regardless of potential danger.  

He added: "In Baghdad there are still many problems. We still have the war. But we are used to living in Baghdad, it’s my home and I don’t want to go anywhere else. If I die in Baghdad it’s okay, it’s my place. But today I’m smiling because of this silver medal around my neck." (© The Telegraph)

The five finalists also in the running are Ibrahim Al-Hussein (Syrian – Independent Paralympic Athlete), Jose Luis Casas (Peru), Tatyana McFadden (USA), Veronica Silva Hipolito (Brazil) and Zulfiya Gabidullina (Kazakhstan).

The winners of this prestigious award will be announced today (15 September 2016) and the awards will be presented at the Closing Ceremony of the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games on 18 September 2016.

We wish all the athletes in the running the very best of luck.