“Sport changes perceptions and a disabled person’s view of themselves”: NEMATI addresses UN

Zahra NEMATI had a car accident that put an end to her successful career in martial arts, but she didn’t give up on sport: she took up archery.

At the London 2012 Paralympic Games she won gold and bronze – and the 29-year-old now believes sport is one of the best ways to overcome the barriers of disability.

“Sport helps the disabled in two ways,” NEMATI said to a United Nations panel called ‘Sport for inclusive development: Empowering persons with disabilities through sport’.

“From one side, it changes people’s perceptions and from the other side, it changes a disabled person’s view towards themselves.”

Read the full story on the International Paralympic Committee website.