On 2 August, Oliver Mangion completed a two-kilometre swim at Razzett tal- Hbiberija’s indoor pool in 57 minutes and 10 seconds. On 24 August, he will be attempting what some might deem an impossible challenge – a three-kilometre swim.

Of course, any good, well-trained swimmer can do this. What will make this a feat is the fact that Oliver is an 11-year-old swimmer with a disability.

Oliver will be 16-and-a-half by the time the opportunity to fulfill his dream comes: participating in the 2012 London Paralympics.

Oliver, a regular user of the facilities at Razzett tal-Hbiberija, was born with severe deformities on all four limbs and since birth has undergone countless reconstructive surgical procedures.

Three times a week he goes to the Razzett tal-Hbiberija pool to train under his coach, Ebi Mohammadpour. He has been training since the age of five, after meeting Twanny Fenech, his first instructor, when he hardly knew how to swim. Over the years, coaches at Razzett tal-Hbiberija have spent a lot of time training Oliver, as his love of swimming developed and helped him to get useful exercise.

“His disability is an extremely rare chromosome abnormality and we only know one other boy living in Portugal with the same condition. This abnormality is so rare that Oliver’s DNA was studied at Oxford for doctors to try and identify what genes develop arms and legs. Oliver gets on with life notwithstanding the extensive surgery he’s had since he was a baby. He uses his upper body for freestyle swimming and has developed a good technique for breast stroke, mostly because he has a strong upper body,” says his mother.

Asked why he is doing the three-kilometre swim, Oliver said he wanted to help Razzett tal-Hbiberija raise funds for financial support, which in turn also increases awareness of the services offered, and hopefully encourages all those with a disability, to take part in sport. Razzett believes in and focuses on the ability of the person and not the disability.

There are over 1,200 people with a disability who, like Oliver, make use of Razzett’s educational, therapeutic and leisure facilities, free of charge.

Anyone who would like to support Razzett tal-Hbiberija can send an SMS on 5061-7359 to donate Lm1, 5061-8080 to donate Lm2 or 5061-8926 to donate Lm3. All donations are greatly appreciated as the Razzett depends on the generosity of the public to sustain its services.

Everyone is invited to witness Oliver’s attempt on Friday, 24 August at 4.30pm. The challenge will take approximately 90 minutes.

For further information about the event or other forms of sponsorship, contact Keith Zerafa at Razzett tal- Hbiberija on 2163-6526 or by email at [email protected]