| Fadi Aldeeb | |
| Native Name: | Arabic: فادي الديب |
| Native Name Lang: | Arabic |
| Birth Date: | 1 September 1984 |
| Birth Place: | Shuja'iyya, Gaza City, Palestine |
| Sport: | Para-athletics |
| Disability Class: | F55 |
| Event: | Shot put |
Fadi J. S. Aldeeb (ar|فادي الديب; born 1 September 1984) is a Palestinian para-athlete. He competed at the 2024 Summer Paralympics in the F55 shot put event and was the only Palestinian representative at the games.
Aldeeb was born in Shuja'iyya, Gaza City.[1] [2] He started competing in sports at age 10 and was coached by Mohammed Al-Sheikh Khalil.[2] Aldeeb was a member of a local club and competed in football, volleyball and tennis.[2] He entered the Palestine national volleyball team at age 16.[2]
Aldeeb studied computer science and was prepared to enroll at Al-Azhar University in Gaza in 2001.[3] During the Second Intifada, in October 2001, Aldeeb was shot in the back by an Israeli sniper, fracturing his T11 and T12 vertebra and leaving him paralyzed.[4] He spent 14 months in two hospitals recovering from his injuries.[5] In 2004, he began playing wheelchair basketball, and he started participating in para-athletics in 2007, specializing in shot put, discus throw and the javelin throw.[3] [5] He competed internationally in para-athletics and won six medals at the Tunis International Athletics Meetings for the Disabled.[3]
Aldeeb competed in wheelchair basketball in France, Turkey and Greece.[3] He was a member of the Paris-based club Hurricane 92 Basketball as of 2024 and also coached the fourth and fifth squads of the club Paris Basket Fauteuil.[3] He was selected for the Palestine national team in 2019.[3] Due to the Israel-Palestine conflict, he has not spent time in Gaza since 2014, and lives in France.[5]
Aldeeb attempted to make the 2012 Summer Paralympics, but was unable to due to a shoulder injury.[5] During the 2024 Israel–Hamas war, 17 members of his family were killed, including his brother and two nephews.[4] [3] [5] He was invited to compete at the 2024 Summer Paralympics and competed in the F55 shot put event.[1] [3] He was the only Palestinian at the 2024 Paralympics and, as such, carried the Palestinian flag at the opening Paralympic ceremony.[5] [6] He finished with a placement of 10th in his event.[1]