NASAJPOUR Shahrad

Classification
F37 (IPC, 20 Aug 2021)

Type of Impairment
Cerebral Palsy (Athlete, 19 Nov 2019)

Origin of Impairment
Congenital (Athlete, 19 Nov 2019)

Impairment Details
He was born with cerebral palsy, which affects the mobility on his left side. (paralympic.org, 03 Aug 2017, 09 Jun 2021)

General
REFUGEE ATHLETE
In early 2016, he contacted the International Paralympic Committee [IPC] suggesting the idea of forming a refugee team for the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. He became one of two Independent Paralympic Athletes to compete at the Games. "In the spring of 2016, I was one of the first people to reach out to the International Paralympic Committee about having a team for Rio 2016. I just heard the news that the International Olympic Committee was going to form a team for the Olympics. Then it came to my mind, 'What about the Paralympics?' I think my early emails helped ignite things. When you have a group, you get more attention. It's so great to see more athletes involved now. I hope this gets bigger and bigger in the coming years. The spirit of the Paralympics is something else. When you're at the Games and competing and seeing the people, you feel something else, something special. So you don't want to quit." (kyodonews.ne, 15 Aug 2019; paralympic.org, 03 Aug 2017, 09 Jun 2021)

ASYLUM IN THE UNITED STATES
He was granted asylum in the United States of America after leaving the Islamic Republic of Iran in late 2015. Having initially arrived in San Francisco, California, he was later assisted by non-profit organisation Buffalo Peace House in the state of New York. Ahead of the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo, he selected Buffalo Peace House to receive 10,000 USD through the Athletes for Good Fund. "You're somewhere where you don't know anyone. You're in a new world. And it's just you versus you. They [Buffalo Peace House] really helped me start my life and figure things out. That's the place where I could start thinking about doing sports again. I am happy I can give back to them for what they did for me." (paralympic.org, 09 Jun 2021)

FURTHER EDUCATION
He studied public administration at the University of Arizona in Tucson, AZ, United States of America. He has been admitted to George Washington University in Washington, DC, United States of America, to study for a master of business administration [MBA] degree after the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo. (Athlete, 19 Nov 2019; paralympic.org, 09 Jun 2021)