Hassanzada and Ali participated as independent athletes at the event in the Portuguese city of Vila Real de Santo António.

Hassanzada, a refugee from Afghanistan, took part in the Para-taekwondo K42 under 61 kilograms category at the event.

His participation was supported by the IWAS and the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, an initiative from World Taekwondo whose mission is to teach taekwondo and stage educational programmes with refugees and displaced people around the world.

Hassanzada, who first sought refuge in Turkey before travelling to Austria, where he was introduced to the sport, has set his sights on trying to qualify for the 2020 Paralympic Games in Tokyo.

Taekwondo is will make its debut on the Paralympic programme in the Japanese city and Hassanzada feels qualification is an achievable goal.

"The IWAS World Games 2017 has given me an opportunity to meet new people and compete against the best in the sport," he said. 

"The competition was a great experience and has pushed to work harder for the next time. 

"I would like to thank all those who made it possible for me to come to this competition.

"I still have a long way to go but look forward to the journey ahead."

Ali, who was paralysed from the waist down in a bomb attack in his native Syria when he was just 12 years old, was granted asylum in Greece last year along with members of his family.

He competed in the under-18 100 metres and 200m events in Vila Real de Santo António.