- The world’s second-tallest man is competing at the Paralympics in Paris
- He has not been given a special bed so is having to sleep on the floor
The world’s second-tallest man is sleeping on the floor in the athletes’ village at the Paralympics in Paris, it has been revealed.
Iran’s Morteza Mehrzad, 36, was born with a rare medical condition called acromegaly, which causes excess growth and stands at 8ft 0.85in, just below Turkey’s Sultan Kosen who is 8ft 2.82in.
Mehrzad is a two-time Paralympic champion in sitting volleyball and is aiming to secure a hat-trick of gold medals in the French capital.
But his task has not helped by his sleeping arrangements in the athletes’ village.
Iran’s head coach Hadi Rezaei told Olympics.com: ‘In Tokyo, yes, they have made a special bed, but unfortunately not here.
The world’s second-tallest man, Morteza Merhzad (centre) is being forced to sleep on the floor in the athletes’ village at the Paralympics
Merhzad is a two-time Paralympic champion in sitting volleyball and is going for gold again
‘He’s going to lie on the floor.’
Despite Merhzad’s far from ideal preparations, Rezaei insists his fellow Iranian remains focused on emerging victorious from the Games.
‘He has got the most important aim in his mind,’ Rezaei continued.
‘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. Morteza can be considered the best player on our team.
‘As a matter of fact, if you go back to Morteza 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.
‘I would like to give you one sentence – I believe that each person has got potential in the world and we have to discover it.’
Athletes at last month’s Olympics also complained about the bedding situation in Paris after being made to sleep on single beds made from cardboard.
More to follow…
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Read more at DailyMail.co.uk