‘GRIZZLY’ GAZZAEV: A LIFE WITHOUT LIMITS

Refugee Para Coach: Against All Odds

Sky-High Barriers

They have made a lifestyle out of overcoming barriers unfamiliar to most. Be it learning to swim with no arms, paint with their feet, or change a diaper one-handed, Para athletes have learned to adapt their lifestyles to their impairments.

Refugee Para athletes have an additional degree of difficulty.

Besides finding ways to excel with their impairments, refugee athletes must also find a way to succeed without the support of their own states.

knew just what to do: “Taekwondo became the natural point of contact when I came to Rwanda.”

He found others like him – impaired and forced to flee because of the civil war in Burundi. In fact, he found four other Para Taekwondo athletes. And that’s how Hakizimana discovered his calling.

“When I arrived there, I found all martial arts were mixed,” he said. “I divided them and made Taekwondo separate –that’s how I finally had a Taekwondo club there in the camp.”

The Rwanda Taekwondo Federation then made him an instructor at the Mahama Taekwondo Academy, which is supported by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation.

Imagine you, an 8-year-old boy, are walking to school. You decide, for fun, to open an electricity power box. You are immediately floored with a massive electric shock – but get up and continue on your way to school. Then you collapse. Discovered by passers-by, you are rushed to hospital.

Imagine, if you can, that both your arms then become infected from the injuries. The doctors are forced to amputate them - bit by bloody bit - until you have no arms left. Imagine that.

Or, if you prefer, ask Spartak Gazzaev, for this was exactly his experience. But if you think that devastating experience caused the Russian lifelong trauma or caused him to give up on life –well, think again.

“I got used to it, I kept going: Why feel sorry for yourself?” he asked. “Now I have a wife with zero disability and four kids - my eldest is 19, my youngest is 4 - and I feed the whole family, including uncles and cousins. Nobody works! Only me.”

Gazzaev is a three-time world para-Taekwondo champion – a remarkable feat for a 42-year-old. Outside the dojang, he lives life with the same relentless energy he displays on the mats. his lack of upper limbs does not stop him from driving a car, riding a bike, swimming mountain rivers (“they are fast and cold”) or skiing. He also plants his own vegetables and changes diapers. In the future, he plans to learn to fly helicopters.

In short, Gazzaev is an impressive man. He minces few words about those who lack the willpower to achieve what he has achieved. “What is most important is the head,” he said. “A lot of people have both arms but cannot help themselves.” In common with many of his countrymen, he has a philosophical side. “If you want to live, you need to move, to keep going,” he mused. “I am just a simple human. Everybody has their own life and they decide themselves for what kind of life it will be.”

Gazzaev has clearly decided to live life to the max. His uncompromising attitude is recognized by his teammates, who have dubbed him “The Russian Grizzly.” “I am from a republic in the mountains, and I rarely smile,” the North Ossetian says (with a smile). “The Russian bear can be very friendly – or he can kill you!”

The region he hails from is known for breeding exceptionally hard, determined men: It is famed among Russians as the only part of Eurasia which Genghis Khan failed to conquer. Overrun, the ancestors of today’s North Ossetians pulled back into their mountain fastness and fought a guerilla war that even the fearsome Mongolian warriors could not win.

Gazzaev’s own combative training commenced in 1990, when he took up karate. After 20 years, he switched styles to Taekwondo as he predicted - correctly, as it turned out - that the sport was poised to enter the Paralympic arena. He now holds a 1st dan black belt and has five years of experience.

So far, no competitor has stood in his way. He seized his third World Para-Taekwondo Championship gold medal in Samsun, Turkiye where the final match posed few challenges. “It was easy - one breath!’ he said. “I won by 12-point gap.” His favored technique is the 45-degree turning kick to the torso: “When I kick, the body collapses,” he said.

A salaried athlete, employed by the Russian government, he is rewarded with bonuses for wins. He also finds the time to run a multi-purpose shop in his home village in North Ossetia and plans to open several more.

Take, for example, Para Taekwondo’s Parfait Hakizimana. He is a star Burundian athlete who has been living in the Mahama refugee camp in Rwanda for the last five years due to the civil war (1990-1994) in his homeland – a conflict that claimed his mother.

Hakizimana makes a living in the dusty plains of eastern Rwanda. In a camp of over 50,000 Burundian refugees, he has carved out a career as a Taekwondo athlete and coach to over 1,000 refugee children.

He credits this achievement to the assistance of the Rwanda Taekwondo Federation, which pays his salary, and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, which empowers refugees and displaced people worldwide by training them in the sport and martial art of Taekwondo.

In fact, it was Taekwondo’s philosophy that drew Hakizimana to the sport in the first place.

‘Taekwondo is my Family’

Parentless by the age of 11, he was drawn to Taekwondo because he saw “no separation, no tribes – just unity.” He credits the values of Taekwondo - namely respect, friendship, and competitiveness - to finding his own place in a new country.

After losing his parents at a young age, Hakizimana turned to Taekwondo because “Taekwondo is my family.” He was on the path to stardom in Burundi, training under the founder of Taekwondo in the country, before being forced to flee his country’s civil war.

After ending up at the largest refugee camp in Rwanda, he

This has led to more training, a coach’s salary, and even the opportunity to compete in international-level events.

Hakizimana took part in Para Taekwondo’s 2017 African championships, where he won his first fight, before falling to the No. 1 seed in a quarterfinal loss (18-12).

He won the national-level Ambassador’s Cup the following year, being named the tournament’s top athlete.

Still, things aren’t ideal.

Hakizimana lacks sufficient funding for full equipment, the services of a quality coach and the means to participate in more international-level tournaments.

Building a Better Tomorrow

Obviously, these are not the only challenges a refugee athlete faces.

Beyond the difficulties of living in a refugee camp, where sustenance is primary and opportunities are severely limited, refugee athletes face the profound challenge of competing abroad, where host nations are wary of any potential claim for asylum.

This reality means that Hakizimana’s only international-level tournament remains the African championships held in Rwanda. That makes virtually impossible his dream of competing in the Paralympic Games.

“I want to participate in more competitions, win more trophies, and go to the Paralympic Games,” he explained. “I also want to build a better life for myself and my family.”

While Taekwondo remains a refuge for this refugee, it also offers a potentially shining future.

“My dream”, he told World Taekwondo, “is to open a Taekwondo club of my own – open to everyone in Burundi.”

Garcia Lopez Wins Mexico’s Highest Sport Award

Teenage World Para Champion Juan Diego Garcia Lopez wins Mexico’s prestigious National Sport Award

Mexico’s Most Prestigious Sport Award

Each year since the inception of the awards in 1975, the Mexican National Sports Commission (CONADE) recognizes Mexico’s best athletes in a glamorous ceremony hosted by the Mexican president. Athletes are selected based on their yearly achievements, their career in sports, and their impact on society.

Diego Lopez became the first Para Taekwondo athlete to win the National Sport Award based on his dominant performance in 2019.

2019: A Year to Remember

Perhaps the brightest among Para Taekwondo’s new wave of teenage stars, Garcia Lopez had one of the best seasons in the sport’s history in 2019.

At 16, he started the year by winning his first world championship. He then won four more international titles, including gold at the inaugural Pan Am Games in Lima, Peru.

He nearly finished 2019 undefeated, losing only one match on a last-second score.

The talented teen was already on pundits’ radars after claiming the 2018 Pan American championship at 15-years-old. His impressive 2019 moved him from No. 5 to No. 2 in the rankings – enough to secure automatic qualification to the Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Joining Mexico’s Legends

Garcia Lopez joined Mexican sporting legends like World Series winner Fernando Valenzuela (baseball), world record holder Jessica Salazar (cycling), and Pan Am Games champion Yahel Castillo (diving). Winners received 796,000 pesos (USD40,000), a certificate signed by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador, and a golden medal.

2022: Para Taekwondo’s March toward Parity

From its introduction into the prestigious Grand Prix Series to its first fully integrated event, Para Taekwondo took major steps toward parity in 2022

The year 2022 was a sensational one for Para Taekwondo. Here are eight key developments that illustrate the strides made throughout the year.

1. Para Taekwondo Joins Grand Prix Series the opportunity to show their skill against the world’s best when they might otherwise not have that chance.”

Bright lights, ring walks, big-time fights – Para Taekwondo athletes joined their able-bodied siblings in 2022 at Taekwondo’s biggest top-tier event series, the Grand Prix.

“The Para GP Series was a great success. It was a great feeling to see Para athletes have the same opportunities and compete at the same level as able-bodied athletes,” said WT Para Taekwondo Committee Chair Chakir Chelbat.

2. Para Taekwondo Goes to the Gala Para Taekwondo’s Male and Female Athletes of the Year were named at World Taekwondo’s year-end Awards Gala – the first time Para Taekwondo was invited to the sport’s year-end shindig.

WT participation support also helped Ghana and the Central Africa Republic send three athletes each to the 2022 African Championships.

Uzbekistan which won 14 medals at Para Grand Prix events in 2022 and Azerbaijan, which won nine medals, were previous recipients of World Taekwondo participation support.

WT set aside USD50,000 for 2023 to continue its support of underrepresented groups.

3. Para Taekwondo Leads Para Sport Integration

Para Taekwondo flexed its innovative muscle by becoming the first Para sport to hold a concurrent competition with its able-bodied counterparts. That paid dividends in media coverage: The European Championships in Manchester had Para Taekwondo’s finals feature on Great Britain’s national broadcaster BBC alongside Taekwondo’s biggest Olympic stars, offering Para fighters unprecedented access to eyeballs – both in the stadium and on TV.

4. As Good as Able-Bodied

Can Para Sport achieve true equality? If Para Taekwondo is any example, the answer could be “yes.” Take the Pan American Taekwondo Union (PATU), which selected Juan Diego Garcia Lopez as its 2022 Athlete of the Year – ahead of able-bodied athletes.

“It is important for federations to recognize Para athletes to make us feel like part of an inclusive family,” Garcia Lopez told the IPC after receiving the prestigious award. “That motivates us to continue seeking to be the best.”

The audience gets it, too.

“Spectators kept asking about the difference in rules between able-bodied and Para Taekwondo”, said WT Para Taekwondo Committee Vice Chair Usman Dildar. “They noted that able-bodied was more touching with precision while Para was more powerful and passionate. They preferred Para.”

5. Participation Support Works

When Nepal’s Shrijana Ghising kicked her way into sporting history by winning Nepal’s first-ever gold medal at the Para Grand Prix Finals in December it showed more than just how athletes from small, less-funded national programs could compete and excel with better-funded competition.

“Nepal’s success is a testament to the support of World Taekwondo,” said WT Para Taekwondo Director Olof Hansson. “It shows what can happen when athletes get

7. Para Taekwondo Supports Ukraine

Despite the war tearing apart their nation, five different Ukrainian athletes stepped onto the medal podiums at events in 2022, led by sixtime World Champion Vika Marchuk’s European Championship silver and her pair of Para Grand Prix bronze medals.

In a noble sign of the fraternal nature of the sport, the Ukrainian Para Taekwondo Team has enjoyed massive support from their counterparts in the Danish Para Taekwondo Team.

8. ‘Undisputed’ is a Disputed Label

World Para Taekwondo’s introduction of the “undisputed” label for fighters that had won each of the first three Para Grand Prix Series events caused a stir in the Para Taekwondo community, with international media jumping on the term, while athletes and coaches debated exactly who should earn the title.

More widely, even 2022’s top fighters showed the difficulty of going an entire calendar year undefeated. With the busiest Para Taekwondo calendar in history on hand for 2023, the days of prohibitive favorites at the top of weight categories look to be a thing of the past.