After entering the wrong course, the goal is to reach for the gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games.

Alican Özcan, whose life changed completely with the accidental start of para taekwondo sport, has a single dream of winning a gold medal at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Starting para taekwondo sport by accident at the age of 9, national athlete Alican Özcan (23) has won gold, silver, and bronze medals in many tournaments he has participated in. Alican Özcan, stating that his life changed completely after starting the sport and that he can now easily overcome all kinds of difficulties despite his disability, expressed his desire to see himself at the top. Recommending individuals with disabilities like himself to engage in sports, Özcan said that this way they could connect more to life. Eagerly anticipating the start of the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games, Özcan expressed his wish for the Olympics to start soon and stated his desire to crown his efforts with a gold medal.
Milli Para Taekwondo athlete Alican Özcan shared his story of starting sports with Ihlas News Agency (İHA) reporter. Özcan said, ‘I started this sport thanks to Youth Sports Schools. My class teacher wanted me to start playing football. After accidentally entering a different order there, I started taekwondo. But great things happened to me after this mistake. I joined the national team in 2016. Since then, I am the champion of Turkey. I have 1 world runner-up, 3 world third places, and 4 European championships.’
‘Sport is everywhere in my life,’ said Özcan, expressing that his life has completely changed with sports. ‘Sport is my life itself. Sport is everywhere in my life. It has contributed greatly both materially and spiritually. Especially, as disabled individuals, we tend to be a bit introverted, so through sports, we have become more connected to life. It doesn’t matter which sport disabled individuals will choose. Just let them do sports. They should not lose their joy of life. Just as we are an example to them now, they should not forget that they can be an example to others.’
Talking about the 2024 Paris Paralympic Games and his biggest goal of winning a gold medal, national athlete Alican Özcan said, ‘I had a quota for the 2020 Tokyo Olympic Games, but I couldn’t go. That’s why I have a loss of 4 years. I want to win a gold medal at the 2024 Paris Olympic Games. I wish the Olympics were in 2 days. I am that ready. Hopefully, everything will be fine.’