Beating odds has different meaning for Iraqi disabled athletes

BAGHDAD, Iraq (CNN) -- They competed on a dusty track this week as war ground on around them. Some were missing arms or legs while others were blind -- victims of relentless violence that has maimed an untold number of Iraqis in the past five years.

The disabled athletes of Iraq -- about 250 men, women and children -- ran and jumped this week in the national championships for disabled competitors. Many were injured by gunfire or bombings, but grit and determination has pushed them on.

When the crack of a starter's gun signaled the start of a race, two one-legged boys hopped forward as fast as possible. Nearby, a man with legs amputated well above the knee threw a shot put from an aluminum support stand.

Beating the odds comes naturally to these athletes.

Three years ago, Sabrina Wardi was an amateur gymnast and runner, but a blast changed the young woman's life in an instant.

"I was on my way to computer class when a car bomb exploded nearby," Wardi said. "It knocked me over and I was hit by shrapnel."

The explosion cost her a leg and, initially, the hope that she would ever play sports again. But a friend encouraged her to join a sports club, where Wardi took up the javelin and shot put.

The challenges disabled athletes face aren't just physical: Surviving in a war-torn nation makes training as difficult as so many other activities of daily life.

"I'm afraid to go out alone because of the security situation," Wardi said. "My mother needs to go everywhere with me."

The disabled athletes have no training center, the secretary for the Iraqi National Paralympic Committee told CNN. Fakhir Ali Al-Jamaly said the athletes also need cars for transportation and better equipment, but they persevere.

"We are the school of life against terrorism," Al-Jamaly said. "Our determination and participation prove to the world that we love peace."

Exactly how many people this war has maimed is not known, but the head of the paralympics committee estimates there are some three million disabled people throughout this country of 27 million.

One is 11-year-old Hussein Abdul Zahara, who looks like so many other boys his age -- right down to the blue soccer uniform and the wrap-around sunglasses. If you ask him, he'll tell you he's been running since he was six.

A year ago, however, someone shot him in the head as he stood on a street corner.

He lost his sight.

"After I was shot, I didn't know what happened," Zahara said. "I was awake. I was bleeding and my eyes were closed."

At the championships this week, he raced down at a track with other athletes. A guide who had tied a handkerchief to Hussein's wrist showed him the way.

Hussein swung his arms back and forth, his legs a blur on the sandy track. He ran forward with hope and boundless energy -- just like any other boy his age. E-mail to a friend

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