World’s second tallest man forced to sleep on the floor in athletes’ village at Paris Paralympics 2024
LEGENDARY Iranian Paralympian Morteza Mehrzad is being forced to sleep on the floor in the Paris athletes’ village.
The two-time sitting volleyball gold medallist is the world’s second tallest man.
He stands at an incredible 8 feet 0.85 inches – the world’s tallest man Sultan Kosen is 8 feet 2.82 inches.
Beds in the Paralympic village are not big enough for the decorated athlete, who was provided with a custom berth in Tokyo three years ago.
Mehrzad, 36, was born with a rare medical condition called acromegaly.
It causes excess growth and saw him reach 6 feet before turning 16.
Mehrzad suffered a serious pelvic fracture when he was 15 that led to his right leg being 15cm shorter than his left.
Iran head coach Hadi Rezaei spotted his potential when he saw him discussing his life on reality TV in 2011.
He has since won two Paralympic gold medals and two world titles.
Rezaei told Olympics.com. “In Tokyo, yes, they have made a special bed, but unfortunately not here.
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“He’s going to lie on the floor. He doesn’t have a special bed, but he has got the most important aim in his mind.
“It doesn’t matter for him whether he will lay on the floor or he’s not going to have enough to eat.
“In any way, he has the mind to become a champion.”
Iran have won seven of the last nine Paralympic sitting volleyball tournaments.
Rezaei was full of praise for his star athlete Mehrzad.
He added: “Morteza can be considered the best player on our team.
“As a matter of fact, if you go back to Morteza when he was 12 years old, no one had any consideration for him, but when he became a sitting volleyball player, everyone, all around the world know him and respect him.
“I would like to give you one sentence – I believe that each person has got potential in the world and we have to discover it.”
All of the events taking place at the Paris 2024 Paralympics
Each sport is broken down into subcategories giving athletes the chance to compete on equal terms with those who have a similar impairment.
Here are the events:
- Para archery
- Para athletics
- Para badminton
- Blind football
- Boccia
- Para canoe
- Para cycling
- Para equestrian
- Goalball
- Para judo
- Para powerlifting
- Para rowing
- Shooting Para sport
- Sitting volleyball
- Para swimming
- Para table tennis
- Para taekwondo
- Para triathlon
- Wheelchair basketball
- Wheelchair fencing
- Wheelchair rugby
- Wheelchair tennis