Kazakhstan's President, Nursultan Nazarbayev, has challenged sports organizers to engage 30 percent of the country's population in sports. The state has numerous sports clubs where people participate in various types of sports; sport facilities are available to the general public. Kazakhstan currently hosts major international tournaments; Astana and Almaty hosted the VII Asian Winter Games 2011, which drew teams from 27 countries.
Paralympic powerlifting, also known as para powerlifting and para-lifting, is an adaptation of the sport of powerlifting for athletes with disabilities. The only discipline in Paralympic powerlifting is the bench press. The sport is governed by the International Paralympic Committee and is open to anyone with a minimum level of disability who can extend their arms within 20° of full extension during a lift. Powerlifting has been competed at the Summer Paralympics since 1984.
Paralympic powerlifting has been competed at every Summer Paralympics since 1984. Weightlifting had been on the Paralympic program since 1964; however, after the 1992 Games the IPC decided to drop weightlifting and hold powerlifting events only. Women first competed in the sport at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
Dimitrios Bakochristos is a Greek Paralympic powerlifter of short stature. He is a two-time bronze medalist at the Summer Paralympics and a two-time bronze medalist at the World Para Powerlifting Championships.
Mohammed Khamis Khalaf is a Paralympic powerlifter from United Arab Emirates. He represented his country at the Summer Paralympics in 2004, 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021. In total, he won three medals: two gold medals and one silver medal. He is also the first Paralympic competitor to win a gold medal for the country at the Summer Paralympics.
Nnamdi Innocent is a Nigerian Paralympic powerlifter. He represented Nigeria at the 2016 Summer Paralympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil and he won the bronze medal in the men's 72 kg event. In 2021, he did not perform a successful lift in the men's 72 kg event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Omar Sami Hamadeh Qarada is a Jordanian Paralympic powerlifter. He is a three-time medalist at the Summer Paralympics, including gold in 2021, and a four-time medalist, including two gold medals, at the World Para Powerlifting Championships. He is the first powerlifter representing Jordan to win a gold medal at the Paralympics.
Nader Moradi is an Iranian Paralympic powerlifter. He represented Iran at the 2012 Summer Paralympics and he won the gold medal in the men's 60 kg event.
Rehab Ahmed is an Egyptian Paralympic powerlifter. She is a two-time silver medalist at the Summer Paralympics and a three-time gold medalist at the World Para Powerlifting Championships.
Marzena Zięba is a Polish Paralympic powerlifter. She represented Poland at the Summer Paralympics in 2008, 2012, 2016 and 2021. She won the silver medal in the women's +86 kg event in 2016 and the bronze medal in this event in 2021.
Gu Xiaofei is a Chinese Paralympic powerlifter. He is a three-time silver medalist at the Summer Paralympics. He is also a five-time medalist, including two gold medals, at the World Para Powerlifting Championships.
Jalgasbay Berdimuratov is an Uzbekistani Greco-Roman wrestler. He is a two-time medalist at the World Wrestling Championships. He is a three-time medalist, including gold, at the Asian Wrestling Championships. He is also a gold medalist at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games.
Uzur Dzhuzupbekov is a Kyrgyzstani Greco-Roman wrestler. He won the gold medal in the men's 97 kg event at the 2019 Asian Wrestling Championships held in Xi'an, China. He is also a bronze medalist at the Asian Games and a two-time silver medalist at the Islamic Solidarity Games. He represented Kyrgyzstan at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, Japan.
Diamantino Iuna Fafé is a Bissau-Guinean freestyle wrestler. He is a two-time medalist at the African Wrestling Championships. He competed in the men's 57 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
Bat-Ochiryn Bolortuyaa is a Mongolian freestyle wrestler. She won one of the bronze medals in the women's 53 kg event at the 2020 Summer Olympics held in Tokyo, Japan. She is a bronze medalist at the World Wrestling Championships. She is also a gold and two-time bronze medalist at the Golden Grand Prix Ivan Yarygin held in Krasnoyarsk, Russia.
Fatoumata Yarie Camara is a Guinean freestyle wrestler. She represented Guinea at the 2019 African Games and she won the bronze medal in the women's freestyle 62 kg event. She won the silver medal in the 62 kg event at the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games held in Konya, Turkey.
Mansour Pourmirzaei is an Iranian Paralympic powerlifter who won a silver medal at the 2020 Tokyo Paralympics.
David Mamievich Degtyarev is a Kazakh Paralympic powerlifter. He won the gold medal in the men's 54 kg event at both the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo, Japan and the 2021 World Para Powerlifting Championships held in Tbilisi, Georgia.
Axel Bourlon is a French Paralympic powerlifter. He won the silver medal in the men's 54 kg event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo, Japan. He was born with achondroplasia, a form of dwarfism.
Olaitan Ibrahim is a Nigerian Paralympic powerlifter. She won the bronze medal in the women's 67 kg event at the 2020 Summer Paralympics held in Tokyo, Japan.
China (CHN)
Nigeria (NGR)
Iran (IRI)
Egypt (EGY)
Russia (RUS)
Ukraine (UKR)
Malaysia (MAS)
Mongolia (MGL)
Turkey (TUR)
Jordan (JOR)
Algeria (ALG)
Brazil (BRA)
Uzbekistan (UZB)
Chile (CHI)
Colombia (COL)
Greece (GRE)
Indonesia (INA)
Iraq (IRQ)
Mexico (MEX)
Syria (SYR)
