Ibrahim Al Hussein put his arm around Shahrad Nasajpour and moved to the Brazilian beats as teams were welcomed into the Rio 2016 Paralympic Village with live music, performances and dancing.
In a tradition that officially greets delegations at the Village, the Team Welcome Ceremony infuses some of the host nation’s culture and customs with its guests. The event was special for Al Hussein and Nasajpour, the two refugee and asylee Para athletes comprising the Independent Paralympic Athletes (IPA) Team. At the Ceremony, Al Hussein and Nasajpour watched the flag being raised as the anthem played in the background, perhaps a moment they may only experience once during these Games.