He did not win his third Paralympic medal because he ranked eighth out of ten athletes with a throw of 6.34 metres in the men's shot put F53 competition.

[12] The Palestinian Paralympic Committee negotiated and explained to the sports' governing body, the International Paralympic Committee (IPC), about Azzam's restrictions of movement due to the constant closures of the Rafah Border Crossing and the Erez Crossing by Israeli authorities, which prevented him from attending three international training camps.

[11] This restricted him to staying in the Gaza Strip preparing for the Games with corroded shot put metal balls and on a sandy playground that did not meet international standards.

[2] Nevertheless, following the intervention of the IPC, Azzam and his coach Mohammed Daham were permitted to leave the Gaza StrIp on 3 September and the pair arrived in Rio de Janeiro two days later.

[11] He said before the Paralympics that he was looking forward to competing at the Rio Games and he sought to claim a gold medal, "I look forward to the competition and challenge all the conditions and difficulties I will face and hope to win a gold medal for Palestine at the Paralympic Games, despite the difficulties I face as a Palestinian athlete living in the Gaza Strip.