The flagbearer for the UAE wheelchair basketball team, Mansour Al-Naqbi, carried the country's flag during the opening ceremony of the Asian Youth Paralympic Games - Dubai 2025. The event is being held this evening at the Dubai Club for People of Determination stadium, under the patronage of His Highness Sheikh Mansoor bin Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, Chairman of the National Olympic Committee and President of the Dubai Sports Council. Approximately 1,500 athletes from 35 countries are participating in the continental event, competing in 11 sports: athletics, swimming, boccia, powerlifting, table tennis, archery, goalball, badminton, wheelchair basketball, arm wrestling, and taekwondo. The participating delegations have completed their preparations for the current edition in Dubai, seeking to present a new generation that expresses the potential and ambitions of youth through stories of will and inspiration, especially as the tournament represents a key milestone for discovering talents and honing the skills of future champions. The national team's roster includes 51 athletes ready to embark on the 'Continental Dream' challenge in eight sports: boccia, athletics, badminton, powerlifting, swimming, table tennis, wheelchair basketball, and arm wrestling. Yesterday, the medical classification was conducted for 851 new athletes, a record number aimed at determining the appropriate sport categories for each athlete based on the type of disability and its impact on performance, with the number of officially classified athletes reaching 64 across various disability categories. The opening ceremony will take place this evening at the Dubai Club for People of Determination stadium.
