Gaza war weighs heavy on the minds of Palestinian Olympians: ‘I want to be an inspiration’

By Zeena Saifi, CNN

Abu Dhabi (CNN) — Omar Ismail was 14 years old when he knew, one day, he wanted to be an Olympic athlete. For years, he had been practicing taekwondo diligently and was ready to take his skills to the ultimate level. His only problem – he didn’t have a country to compete for.

Ismail is Palestinian, his family is from Jenin in the occupied West Bank, but he was born and raised in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). Like many Palestinians, he has a Jordanian passport that serves as a travel document but does not offer citizenship.

In 2019, when he was invited to compete in his first world championship in Uzbekistan, he thought he would represent Jordan. But two hours before his flight, his dreams were crushed.

“Just before I left for the airport, my coach called me and told me that I couldn’t go anymore because I’m technically not a Jordanian citizen. I had no idea. It was such a blow,” he told CNN.

Palestine does not have full international recognition and is a non-member observer state at the United Nations. For that reason, Ismail never thought he could represent his country because he assumed it didn’t have a national taekwondo team.

But when his coach began searching for an alternative option, he discovered, to his and Ismail’s surprise, that there was one.

Since then, he has represented Palestine in all his competitions.

“Had I known, I would’ve absolutely chosen that as my first option. I was so happy. … When you compete for your country, it feels different. It makes you want to fight for your country,” Ismail said.

In 1995, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized the National Olympic Committee of Palestine as a member, allowing Palestinian athletes to compete in the Games. Today, Ismail has become the first Palestinian taekwondo athlete to ever qualify for the Olympic Games, an achievement he says he is very proud of.

While he is the only Palestinian to qualify for Paris 2024, he won’t be the only one competing.

Seven other athletes will make up the Palestinian delegation this year, competing in boxing, judo, swimming, shooting and track and field. They all had to go through a wild card playoff process to make it.

For these athletes, the Olympics will take place against the backdrop of a raging war in Gaza, where more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed in the last nine months.

That reality does not escape them.

Valerie Tarazi, 24, is originally from Gaza and one of two Palestinian swimmers who will be competing in Paris. Although she’s been swimming for 20 years in the United States, where she has citizenship, she told CNN seeing Gaza bombarded by Israeli airstrikes every day makes it hard to do what she loves.

“Sport has given me more than I could ever ask for … and for Palestinian children to not be able to go outside and play is just so sad to me,” she said.

Despite growing up in the US, Tarazi said she always wanted to represent the land she couldn’t live in. But it wasn’t easy.

When she began representing Palestine in tournaments, some people questioned her roots. She decided to gather documents like her grandfather’s passport and father’s baptismal certificate to make sure that, in the eyes of the world, her Palestinian identity was “full proof.”

That affirmation came just in time for the Olympics.

“The way that I fight for Palestine is through sport, peacefully. … I think that is such a special way for me to serve my country … being able to speak out and raise the flag is truly my honor and responsibility,” she added.

Carrying Palestine in one’s ‘blood and heart’

Layla Almasri, a 25-year-old runner, echoed similar feelings of pride. She grew up in the US but told CNN she “always carried Palestine” in her “blood and heart.”

“I knew if I ever had a chance to go to the Olympics, I’d want to represent Palestine. I wouldn’t even consider running for the US,” she added.

Almasri was the first woman to represent Palestine in the World Cross-Country Championships in Belgrade in 2024, according to the Palestine Olympic Committee. She said she hopes young Palestinian girls can do the same.

“I think the biggest challenge is feeling lucky to have these opportunities but knowing that there are so many Palestinians like me, that have the same dreams and aspirations, that don’t get to do them … they deserve it as much as we do,” she told CNN.

Almasri said she’s oftentimes engulfed with a feeling of guilt that makes her question her career as a runner, especially with so many athletes being killed in Gaza.

“I start to think, ‘What am I doing? I should be doing more.’ But you can only do the best that you can. I want to be an inspiration … to show people that we love life, and we love sports … that there is a place for us on the international stage,” she said.

For 27-year-old Faris Badawi, that international presence couldn’t be more important. Speaking to CNN, he said he’s faced challenges since the day he was born.

He grew up as a Palestinian refugee in the Yarmouk Refugee Camp in the Syrian capital, Damascus. As a teenager, he discovered his love for judo and was determined to compete in international sporting competitions.

But as a refugee, he couldn’t represent Palestine or Syria.

When the civil war broke out there, he – like many others – undertook a perilous journey across the Mediterranean Sea to seek refuge in Europe. He eventually reached Germany, where he now resides and fights to represent his country.

“Unfortunately, there are certain countries, especially where I live … that have a bad image of Arabs and Palestinians. All I want to do is show who we are in the best light and be an example for young Palestinians,” he said.

While all eight athletes competing for the Palestinian team come from the same place, they were born in different countries under different circumstances.

Boxer Wasim Abu Sal was born in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank; Jorge Salhe, competing in shooting, was born in Santiago, Chile; Mohammed Dwedar, competing in running, was born in Jericho in the occupied West Bank; and Yazan Al Bawwab, competing in swimming, was born in Saudi Arabia.

Runner Almasri said that reflects the “reality of Palestinians.”

“We, unfortunately – for one reason or another – are in different parts of the world. But together, we’re a united group of Palestinians representing our country. … It’s a beautiful way for us to come together in a way that the occupation has prevented us from doing,” she added.

That Israeli occupation is always on Badawi’s mind, as are the images of suffering emerging from Gaza that make him “feel weak.” But he is trying to focus on training to show the world that “Palestine has champions.”

“Any point I score is surely going to make people in Palestine happy. And nothing would make me happier than bringing joy to their hearts … it’s a special feeling,” he said.

Ismail, the team’s best hope to become the first Palestinian to win an Olympic medal, told CNN he feels similarly. Although the war in Gaza is impacting him, he said it’s also motivating him to bear a sense of responsibility to perform well.

“When we compete, we don’t compete for ourselves. Everyone in Palestine is waiting for Omar to get the gold medal … it might change people’s perspectives on Palestinians,” he added.

Five Palestinian athletes competed in the Tokyo Games in 2021. This year, there will be eight – the most in history, according to the Palestine Olympic Committee. Ismail said in the next Games, that number might double.

“They call us champions, but for me, the real champions are Gaza’s people. … Each one of them can reach their dreams if it weren’t for their circumstances. … If I don’t win in the Olympics, there are going to be more Palestinians who are going to win it in the next Games,” he said.

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