Iyad Shalabi

Iyad Shalabi (or Eyad Shalaby, , ; born 16 July 1987) is an Arab-Israeli Paralympic champion swimmer. Representing Israel at the 2020 Summer Paralympics in 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, Shalabi won two gold medals in swimming.

Early life Shalabi is a Muslim Israeli-Arab from Shefa-Amr, Israel. He is both deaf and paraplegic. He has a deaf and mute brother. He competes in disability classification S1, which is for those with the most severe activity limitations.

Shalabi represented Israel in the Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio 2016 Paralympics. Shalabi was the first Arab-Israeli citizen to win an individual medal in either the Paralympics or the Olympics. Israeli Culture and Sports Minister Hili Tropper wrote: "Iyad is an inspiring man whose life has been full of victories. “And today, another great victory. Iyad ... filled us all with pride. We are proud of you, Iyad Shalabi!" Former Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also congratulated him in a tweet.