The head coach of Saudi Paralympics team Sami Zerelli expressed his high hopes for the glory of winning a medal in the 2012 Paralympics game in London.
Zerelli said, “We did a lot of hard work to win in these Paralympics, and I have full confidence my athletes will do their best, and bring home gold and silver medals.”
Able-bodied Zerelli, 39, has been coaching since 1997. He started training disabled athletes two years later when he found out he has the ability to bring out the best in people with special needs.
“I was coaching able-bodied people when one day a person with special needs joined my team. For a whole year, I trained him without any problem. After that I became a coach for people with special needs,” he added.
Zerelli took the Saudi squad to Beijing in 2008.
“It is a great achievement to be chosen for one of the greatest sporting events in the world, and I would like to wish all Saudi Arabian Paralympics athletes the very best of luck,” he said.
Zerelli is taking the athletes Ossemah Masoud Alshinqiti, Hani Alnakhli and Saeed Alkhaldi to London for the Aug. 29-Sept. 9 Paralympics.
“My athletes are ready to win, they worked hard for these Olympics games. Hani Al-Nakhilli broke the world record in 2011, Ossemah Masoud Alshinqiti won the gold and silver medals for the triple jump in the 2008 Paralympics in Beijing,” said Zerelli.
He further said Saeed Alkhaldi is participating in London in the 100m sprint. The goals for the Saudi delegation are not only to get gold medals but also a sizeable reputation and name for Saudi athletes.
Disabled athletes train just like normal athletes, said Zerelli. On top of that, he said, they put more into a training session, especially mentally, than other athletes.
“As a coach, you adapt training sessions to each athlete depending on their competence and skills, and you adapt the training to the player, not the player adapting to the training regime,” he said. “This is my third Olympics and the second with the Saudi team. Two of my athletes were with me in Beijing in 2008 attending their first Olympic games. We are aware of the big responsibility we have,” he added.
For the Saudi athletes, Zerelli explained, it’s a must to change their attitude toward life, to become a champion. This is a tremendous problem for them. My athletes tend to eat all the time and go to bed late, which should be changed to a regime fitting professional athletes.
He encouraged the participation of Saudi women in sports activities. He said now is the moment for Saudi women to get in the game and to express their potential in sport. Not only disabled women but all women and in all types of sports, “In the coming years, we will see Saudi women representing their country just like or better than the men,” said Zerelli. Zerelli said breaking down the stigma of disability, and encouraging athletes and families to become involved had taken time.
“Breaking down barriers so disabled athletes in Saudi Arabia can participate in professional tournaments is one thing but the barrier to female participation remains. I hope the whole Paralympic team gets a boost,” said Zerelli.
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