Paralympian forced to sleep on the floor in the Olympic Village (6 photos)

Morteza Mehrzad Selakiani, the tallest athlete in Paralympic history, has attracted the attention of the world media for more than just his height. The Iranian sitting volleyball athlete is forced to sleep on the floor of the Olympic Village.





"In Tokyo [2020], they prepared a special bed, but unfortunately not here [at the 2024 Paralympic Games in Paris]," said the head coach of the Islamic Republic of Iran team, Hadi Rezaigarkani.

Hadi added: "Morteza will sleep on the floor, there is no special bed for him. But the most important goal is in his mind. He does not care where to sleep or whether he has enough food. He intends to become a champion."



The Iranian national team player is 2 meters 46 centimeters tall.

The two-time Paralympic champion was diagnosed with acromegaly at a young age - a rare hormonal disorder that causes some parts of the body to enlarge. At 15, he was injured in a cycling accident, after which his right leg stopped growing.





Hadi Rezaigarkani first saw Mehrzad when he appeared on a local TV show in 2011. The coach got hold of the big guy's contact information and convinced him to take up sitting volleyball.



"Morteza spent 11 years in his room, he didn't leave the house. Being the tallest man, he was shy of looks. But now everyone looks at him like a champion," Rezaigarkani shared.



Iran has won seven of nine Olympic sitting volleyball tournaments since its first attempt at the 1988 Seoul Games.

The gold in Paris will be the 36-year-old athlete's third consecutive Paralympic victory. Mehrzad made his debut at the 2016 Paralympic Games in Rio de Janeiro.