Ryadh Sallem has had a thousand lives. At 53, the athlete will attempt to take on the most ambitious challenge of an impressive career in Paris. For his sixth participation in the Paralympic Games, this player on the French wheelchair rugby team is aiming for the gold medal, the ultimate consecration for someone who has made the recognition of disabled sport the fight of his life.
” I have locks, I’m wearing a djellaba, I’m in a wheelchair with blue-white-red wheels. I don’t have my feet on the ground, but I have my head on my shoulders. ” This is how Ryadh Sallem describes himself. And when he is standing, in the locker room, the athlete is a colossus. ” I have several dimensions so when I’m in my chair, I look at you from below and when I’m standing, I look at you from above. And so having this view of the world is nice too. ” he says.
To play, Ryadh Sallem removes his prosthetics : ” My chair will replace my legs, I will be practically molded into them. So it is a chair that is custom-made. Finally, I am more disabled standing than in my chair.. » And when he plays, he ties up his long hair, because it could get caught in the wheels, and hides it in his jersey, that of the French team.
Adjusting the strap, white bandage on the forearms, tire pressure, the athlete turns the wheels of his chair at full speed and there he is on the sports field. The hard part when you change chairs is finding your new position, your straps, all that. I’m still sorting it out even though it’s been a few months since I received this chair. “, he describes. And these are not the only difficulties: ” They are also financialhe confides. Pbecause an armchair like that still costs a little more than 15 000 euros. »
” Life catches up with us and we just have to give it the chance to thrill us. »
Born without legs or hands due to a congenital malformation, Ryadh Sallem left Tunisia to seek treatment in France. His childhood and adolescence were difficult, but his enthusiasm would prevail. ” Life catches up with us and we just have to give it a chance, a chance to thrill us. “, shares the athlete, who has decided to trust life. ” When you lose a part of your body and you can’t project yourself into the future, it’s violent, he confides. But you say to yourself, okay, I’m going to take small steps, centimeter by centimeter. And then, you realize that after a few years, you’ve been around the planet three times. That’s the magic of life. »
At 53 years old and with six Paralympic Games selections, Ryadh Sallem knows high-level sport better than anyone. I was passionate about basketball and it was the only team sport that was more or less accessible. But I was a UFO in basketball, because there were no people who were missing upper limbs. “It was after swimming and basketball that he discovered wheelchair rugby,” a second love at first sight ” he says.
Also read2024 Paralympic Games: French wheelchair rugby players rock the Arena Champ-de-Mars
Sports values that the athlete seeks to transmit
” I am one of those who try to promote, to advance the Paralympic movement. “, explains Ryadh Sallem. ” I think it’s important because I’ve benefited from it and I want to return the favor. And so obviously, if it allows kids to have a smile, to have a smile, that’s what I’m here for. » And rugby has a special place in his heart: ” This state of mind, this camaraderie… There really is a culture in rugby that is special. »
He seeks to pass on the values of sport to the young, just like those of the Olympics: ” The Games, that’s the magic. It’s a joyful world war. There are no deaths, but we have all the nations of the world coming to confront each other, to fight each other. But all this with respect, with happiness. »
Wheelchair rugby is played 4 against 4 with a volleyball that the athletes pass back and forth, the aim being to score a try. The chairs collide and cause bursts of laughter. The greatest joy of Ryadh Sallem and the French team: winning a gold medal at the Paralympic Games in Paris. And when you see the chairs throwing themselves at each other during training, the falls and the stunts, there is no doubt, we are dealing with a shock team.
► All our articles on the Paralympic Games can be found here.
► The Paralympic Games programme and calendar can be found here.