A convicted terrorist has competed at the Paralympic games, sparking competitive controversy in the national games.
Sebastian Rodriguez, a convicted terrorist, has competed in the 4×50 m freestyle relay at this years Tokyo Paralympic games.
The 64 -year-old Spanish swimmer was once on the receiving end of a whopping 84 year prison sentence for involvement in an alleged murder.
Rodriguez has won eight gold medals throughout his career and without hesitation takes centre podium for most astonishing past.
The Paralympics is renowned for hosting some of the most inspirational and mind-blowing individuals. So how did a convicted terrorist end up in the Tokyo pool?
In the 1980s a group known as GRAPO was, listed by the European Union as a terrorist organisation. They carried out shootings, bombings and attacks throughout Spain over the span of a decade.
Rodriguez was a member of the left-winged militant terrorist organisation and allegedly played a part in the murder of Rafael Pandura, a Seville business leader, in 1984.
Alongside this, it is also believed that Rodriguez was also involved in a number of bombings organised by GRAPO.
These attacks saw the capture of Rodriguez in 1985 followed by a hefty 84-year prison sentence.
Listen to the remarkable story of Sebastián Rodríguez 🇪🇸
– He’s 64 years-old
– Wrongfully convicted of murder in 84′
– Pardoned by the Spanish govt. 10 years later
– And is now competing in his 6th #ParalympicsWow 😳 pic.twitter.com/ertaKMgRoA
— 7Sport (@7Sport) August 25, 2021
After 5 years in prison, Rodriguez demanded fellow GRAPO members be detained in the same prison and subsequently staged a hunger strike.
This act of defiance lasted 432 days and ultimately led to a loss of bodily function and permanent use of both legs.
Jump forward to the year 1994 and luck sways in his favour. A Spanish law granted parole to all seriously ill inmates and consequently the release of Sebastian Rodriguez.
This change of fate prompted a change in the convicted criminal. He shifted all of his attention to swimming and with 6 years of training took home five Olympic gold medals at the 2000 Sydney Paralympics.
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“I am an example that mistakes can lead you to achieve things, and help others not to commit them,”– Rodriguez was quoted on the Paralympic website.
These medals were however close to being revoked following the revelation that Rodriguez had lied about the cause of disability, originally telling Spanish officials he was involved in a heavy vehicle accident.
The Paralympic organising committee canned that idea with a spokesperson stating: “The Australian government have him a visa…so obviously they didn’t consider him a threat.”
Rodriguez has said very little about his past, however has spoken out acknowledging his wrongdoing.
“Over the course of my life I have seen that I was wrong…I’ve tried to rectify that, and I am working on it.”
