Iraqi women chase Paralympic dreams
Despite a raft of obstacles, from infrastructure to societal stigma, team perseveres in its bid to reach global stage
No support
Sarmad, who has already won several medals, including bronze in a tournament in Thailand, takes pride in the fact that despite the many challenges, "we overcame all this, we became players".
The state-owned community center provides the team a stipend equivalent to $75 a month to cover transportation costs, but the players had to purchase their professional paddles, at a cost of $200, out of their own pockets.
The players often have to rely on taxis to travel to training sessions and back, but "sometimes cabs refuse to take disabled people", said Sarmad.
Coach Mohammed Riyad, 43, said that table tennis "has developed in Al Diwaniyah solely through personal efforts... due to the lack of support from the state".
Riyad, a member of the Iraqi Paralympic Committee, said that funding sports was not a priority in a country where decades of conflicts, neglect and endemic corruption have devastated infrastructure.
Through the Paralympic committee, he has managed to acquire old equipment for Sarmad and her fellow players.
