No bed available in Paris Paralympic village for world's second tallest man

Sitting volleyball star Morteza Mehrzadselakjani 'going to lie on the floor'

Iran's Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, second left, and his teammates before their men’s sitting volleyball match against Ukraine on Friday at the Paris Paralympics. AFP

Iranian sitting volleyball champion - and the world's second tallest man - has been sleeping “on the floor”, after discovering that no special bed was made for him at the Paralympic Village in Paris.

Morteza Mehrzadselakjani, star of the Islamic Republic of Iran’s sitting volleyball team, is competing for his third gold medal and the team’s 8th paralympic title.

The 36 year-old athlete is 2.46 metres tall, owing to a rare condition called acromegaly that causes excess growth in parts of the body, and requires a special bed to be made to accommodate his height.

His coach Hadi Rezaeigarkani said he had been given a bed at the Tokyo 2020 games, but found that no sleeping provisions had been made for him at the Paralympic village in Paris. “He's going to lie on the floor,” Mr Rezaeigarkani said.

But this would not deter Mr Mehrzadselakjani from competing for gold, the coach added.

“He doesn’t have a special bed, but he has got the most important aim in his mind. It doesn’t matter for him whether he will lay on the floor or he’s not going to have enough to eat. In any way, he has the mind to become a champion,” he told Olympics.com

Iran has already defeated Ukraine and Brazil in their opening matches, and will take on Germany on Tuesday.

Mr Mehrzadselakjani made his Paralympic debut in Rio in 2016, where Iran won gold, having come second at the UK games in 2012.

He was named the Most Valuable Player and Best Spiker at Tokyo 2020, and Best Spiker at the 2022 world championships.

Mr Mehrzadselakjani sometimes requires a wheelchair to move, after a cycling accident when he was 13 broke fractured his pelvis and stunted growth of his right leg.

He was approached by coach Rezaeigarkani after appearing on a reality TV show in 2011, where he spoke of the challenges he faced.

He had spent about a decade of his life “in his room, in his house, without going out” because he feared that people would stare at him, according to his coach.

“Nowadays all people are going to look at him as a champion,” Mr Rezaeigarkani added.

“Morteza can be considered the best player on our team,” his coach said.

“When he was 12 years old, no one had any consideration for him, but when he became a sitting volleyball player, everyone, all around the world know him and respect him,” he said.

Iran has won seven out of nine tournaments since it first competed at the Paralympics in Seoul in 1988.