Picture by IOC Media
Jamal Valizadeh vividly remembers all the hardships he had to overcome to make it to the Paris 2024 Olympics.
After fleeing his home country in search of a better life, the talented refugee wrestler had to basically start from zero.
“It was very hard for me because I lost everything that I had. My family, my friends, education, wrestling,” he told Olympics.com.
And things did not get easier for the young athlete after he made his way to Turkiye.
The former youth champion in Greco-Roman wrestling worked 16-hour days for very little pay, feeling exploited yet determined to improve his situation.
Six months of hard labour later, he left to cross the Mediterranean Sea by boat in the middle of winter.
During the treacherous journey, the vessel he was in began to take on water, so he got off and swam the remaining few hundred metres in order to help the other travellers.
After surviving such an ordeal, there was to be no respite. He arrived penniless in France in 2016 and appled for refugee status, which was granted a few months later.
Don't tell Valizadeh that things can't be done.
This hardship would have been too much for many, but Valizadeh had been fighting his whole life and refused to give up now.
Growing up, he was the only male in his family of 34 cousins who did not practise wrestling.
Instead, he played as a goalkeeper in handball until one day he was convinced to give their family sport a go.
“Every night I started practising at home with them, and they showed me the technique, and how to attack. After that, the first day in the wrestling hall, I beat the regional champion.”
Handball quickly became a thing of the past for the newly-obsessed grappler.
Valizadeh’s progress was quick, and he was crowned national champion at 55kg for three consecutive years, until 2013.
His wrestling technique, and the mental strength he gained from the sport, never left him.
In January 2023, after eight years out of the sport as he made a new life in France, he decided to pick it up again.
“That decision changed my life,” he said. “When I arrived in France, I didn't speak French and I didn't know anyone. I decided to find a wrestling club, and that helped me to learn French, and get back to a normal life.”
Valizadeh’s talent was spotted quickly, and his results spoke for themselves. In May 2024, he was announced in International Olympic Committee Refugee Team for Paris 2024.
Today, he is training rigorously with the French national team for up to 13 sessions a week, alongside his studies for a master's degree in computer science.
"I’m trying hard to make up for lost time as all the other wrestlers have been training for the past ten years!
*“*There are 100 million refugees in the world right now and we are a big family. It makes me happy to represent every one of them” - Jamal Valizadeh to Olympics.com
The past year has been a particularly emotional one for the Iranian-born athlete.
Returning to Istanbul and Belgrade to compete in major global tournaments like the World Championships made him reflect on just how far he had come since he was last in those cities, having lost everything and was just trying to survive.
“One day I was there as a refugee, but now I'm going there to try and qualify for an Olympic Games. Going back was really hard for me as I was in such a dark place when I was last year. But I’m so proud of where I am now.”
Wrestling is a global sport.
Valizadeh believes it is the values of the sport that make it so popular in the country of his birth.
“It helps athletes to be stronger, not only physically, but also mentally,” he said.
“The most important thing it taught me is discipline. Anyone can be motivated at 100% from time to time, but then suddenly we don’t want to get out of bed. But that’s where being disciplined takes over.
“In this way, wrestling helped me to be a stronger person. It’s because of wrestling that I was able to get past all these problems and start again” - Jamal Valizadeh to Olympics.com
Valizadeh stated that his goal is to win gold at Paris 2024, but almost immediately checked himself, saying that ‘without adequate preparation, a podium finish is more realistic’.
But his mission in the French capital is about more than just personal glory.
There are over 100 displaced people in the world that can relate to the hardship he has been through, and who can be inspired by his refusal to give in, and find happiness again in a new land.
"My message to other refugees is to never lose hope. Just continue to follow your dreams because everything is possible,” he said.
*“*There is a proverb in Persian. We say that because the world is round, one day you can be at the lowest point, but the next day you can pass at the same point but you are literally on top of the world. It’s exactly like this for me in my life.
"One day I was there with nothing, helpless. But just years later, I was fighting for a place at the Olympic Games. Everyone can achieve their dreams too.”
Related content