Meet Carlos Rizki

 

We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Carlos Rizki a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.

CARLOS, thanks so much for taking the time to share your insights and lessons with us today. We’re particularly interested in hearing about how you became such a resilient person. Where do you get your resilience from?

My resilience comes from growing up surrounded by Paralympic athletes, including my own mother, who taught me that true strength is not about avoiding challenges, but facing them with courage. Covering Paralympic Games for more than a decade has also shown me, time and again, that resilience is about mindset, purpose, and the will to keep moving forward.

Let’s take a small detour – maybe you can share a bit about yourself before we dive back into some of the other questions we had for you?

I am a sports journalist with over a decade of experience covering the Paralympic Movement, including multiple World Championships, Parapan American Games, and two Paralympic Games Rio 2016 aand Tokyo 2020. What excites me most about my work is the opportunity to tell powerful human stories that go beyond medals. I believe that Paralympic athletes redefine resilience and excellence, and my mission is to amplify their voices on the global stage.

In addition to journalism, I lead Adaptado Sport, a media platform dedicated to Paralympic and adaptive sports, and recently launched The Adaptive Lab, an innovative space combining performance training, cold exposure, and mental resilience techniques inspired by the champions I’ve worked with. My focus is on creating bridges between athletes and audiences, between sport and society so that the legacy of Paralympic athletes can inspire broader communities worldwide

If you had to pick three qualities that are most important to develop, which three would you say matter most?

Looking back, I would say three qualities have been most impactful in my journey:

Resilience always …. Growing up with a Paralympic athlete as my mother and later covering Paralympic Games taught me that setbacks are part of the process. Resilience is not about never falling, but about choosing to rise every single time.

Storytelling As a journalist, learning how to tell stories that connect emotionally and authentically has been essential. Facts inform, but stories inspire and create change.

Adaptability Working across different countries, events, and media platforms has required me to adapt quickly, whether to new cultures, new technologies, or unexpected challenges.

My advice for those early in their journey is:

Build resilience by embracing challenges instead of avoiding them.

Develop your storytelling by listening deeply to others before trying to speak.

And stay adaptable, because the path is rarely linear opportunities often come disguised as obstacles.

What is the number one obstacle or challenge you are currently facing and what are you doing to try to resolve or overcome this challenge?

The biggest challenge I face today is twofold. On a personal level, it is maintaining the champion’s mindset my mother herself a Paralympic athlete instilled in me, and applying it consistently to daily life, obstacles, and goals. On a professional level, it is breaking through to the American audience, helping them not only watch but truly engage with Paralympic sport, discover its athletes, and see beyond stereotypes of disability or inequality.

I approach this challenge by staying true to the values I’ve learned from Paralympic champions: resilience, purpose, and authenticity. Through my work as a journalist and with initiatives like Adaptado Sport and The Adaptive Lab, I am building platforms and creating content that make Paralympic stories accessible, exciting, and relatable. It’s a long journey, but I see it as an opportunity to open minds and connect people with a movement that can inspire the world.”

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Image Credits

CARLOS RIZKI

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