Abbas Karimi represented Team USA as a member of the 2024 US Paralympics Swim Team and received two silver medals. Abbas was born without arms in Kabul, Afghanistan and has gained international recognition for his achievements in swimming. Karimi fled Kabul at age 15 after being smuggled through Iran making it to a Turkish refugee camp. Through the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, he was resettled to the United States Abbas has competed in many world swimming events and was the first refugee to win a World Medal.  A model of resilience and profound physical and mental strength he was recently chosen as an ambassador for Visit Lauderdale. A book about his life was released earlier this year, “God took my arms but he gave me THIS GIFT.”