He has described himself as the happiest man alive, yet in 20 years, Iraq-born swimmer Ahmed Kelly has risen above extreme hardship to become one of Australia's leading medal hopes at the London Paralympics.
Britain's Queen Elizabeth opens the London 2012 Paralympic Games at the Olympic Stadium in London, on Aug 29, 2012.
Stephen Hawking and 'Blade Runner' Oscar Pistorius were among the luminaries on hand for the opening on Wednesday night of the biggest Paralympics in the 11-day competition's history.
Zhang Lixin to be China's flag-bearer at Paralympics
Brazilian athletes prepare for 2012 Paralympic Games in London from Aug 29 to Sept 9.
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Monday wished a success to the Russian Paralympic team, which will leave for London within days to take part in the 2012 Paralympic Games.
China's Blind Football team attended a nine-month training camp in Fuzhou and after the training, a team of eight athletes, two goalkeepers, a guide member, and a coach were selected for the Paralympics.
Wheelchair-bound Khamis Zaqout from Gaza, who lost the use of his legs while working on a building site in Israel two decades ago, is Palestine's best hope for a Paralympic medal in London this month.
China's athletes are busiy preparing for the upcoming 2012 London Paralympics.