– I watch the news and see people swimming to get hold of emergency aid. I swim to compete, they swim to survive. That’s what Valerie Tarazi (24) said during a press conference before the Olympics. She will compete in the 200 meter individual medley at the Paris Games. CONTRAST: Valeri Tarazi feels lucky to be representing Palestine at the Olympics. Photo: Reuters The swimmer was born and raised in the USA, but her family has roots in Gaza. She is one of eight athletes representing Palestine in Paris, while war and famine characterize the homeland. – Practicing sport is a basic human right. We are proud to compete, but we cannot ignore the harsh realities that all Palestinians face every single day, the 24-year-old continued. People killed since October 7, 2023 Close Sources: Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza / UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) / Israeli authorities Disclaimer: Figures from Hamas-controlled health authorities in Gaza do not distinguish between civilians and combatants, and may periodically be late. Figures from Israeli authorities show that around 1,200 civilians and soldiers were killed in connection with the Hamas attack on Israel on October 7, 2023. 287 Israeli soldiers have been killed since October 27, 2023. None of the figures have been confirmed by independent sources. The Palestinian figures are updated daily. Figures from Israel are updated at least twice a week. Close More information about the numbers In March, 18 Palestinians died while trying to reach emergency aid that was released into the sea outside northern Gaza. 12 drowned, while six are said to have been pulled whole. Several of the athletes representing Palestine have never lived there themselves, because their families were forced to flee. – If you look at the delegation, you will find Palestinians from everywhere. Palestinians from the diaspora, who were expelled from their homeland. You will see Palestinians from Jerusalem, Palestinians from Gaza, Palestinians from the West Bank. You want to see all of Palestine, says deputy head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee Nader Jayousi to news. Palestinian athletes in the 2024 Olympics Boxing: Wasim Abusal Judo: Fares Badawi Shooting: Jorge Antonio Salhe Swimming: Yazan Al Bawwab and Valerie Tarazi Taekwondo: Omar Yaser Ismail Athletics: Layla Almasri and Mohammed Dwedar BRUTAL: A dozen Palestinians drowned, and six were dragged even when emergency aid was dropped across the coast of northern Gaza in March. Photo: Reuters – They must revive the hope of the children in Gaza – We are among the luckiest Palestinians in the world. We have the right to compete, but that right has been taken away from our children. They have no right to play sports. The survival skill of swimming is now a luxury, Tarazi said at the press conference. The warfare in Gaza and attacks on the occupied West Bank escalated after the Hamas attack on Israel on 7 October, and has now continued for over nine months. According to the Palestinian Olympic Committee, around 400 athletes, coaches and sports leaders have been killed in Israeli attacks on Gaza since 7 October. 90 percent of the sports facilities on the Gaza Strip must also be bomb safe. IMPORTANT REPRESENTATION: Nader Jayousi is technical director and deputy director of the Palestinian Olympic Committee. He points out the importance of eight Palestinians participating in the Olympics. Photo: Halvor Ekeland / news – Our athletes understand that this is not the time to be stubborn. They must revive the hope of the children in Gaza because that hope is dead now, and it is our responsibility to show them that they must continue to fight through the difficulties and show what a Palestinian is, says deputy Jayousi. His phone is hardly silent during the time Jayousi is with news outside the participant village in Paris. His days are so full that darkness has descended before he finally comes out to do an interview. Jayousi has been jumping between meetings, interviews and training sessions in recent days. In addition to leading the Palestinian delegation to the Olympics, he is a trainer for one of the athletes in Paris: boxer Waseem Abusal, who lives in the West Bank. He highlights three things that are important for the Palestinian delegation in Paris: Technique, identity and dignity. – Our participation in this Olympics is considered one of the most important in Palestinian history. PARIS: Swimmers Yazan Al Bawwab and Valerie Tarazi are in place in Paris. Photo: Reuters – Just to be here is to say Israel’s ongoing bombing of Gaza is being compared to the “Nakba” (catastrophe) in 1948, when around 750,000 Palestinians were forced to flee their homeland. A UN report believes the threshold for genocide has been reached. – People do not want Palestinians to exist. They look at the flag, and they don’t want it. So just being here is a victory, says swimmer Yazan Al Bawwab (24) to Reuters. He was the flag bearer for the Palestinian delegation and took part in the 100 meter backstroke in Paris on Sunday. There he still finished in 43rd place. FLAG CARRIER: Yazan Al Bawwab believes that being able to participate in the Olympics is a victory in itself. Photo: AP Al Bawwab was born in Saudi Arabia, but has both Palestinian and Italian citizenship through his parents and has often visited Palestine. Today he lives in Canada, where he has obtained a bachelor’s degree in engineering. Last year he wanted to give back to the people of Palestine. The swimmer is part of the International Olympic Committee’s (IOC) young leaders program and started a project for swimming training in Palestine. TO START SWIMMING TRAINING: Yazan Al Bawwab looks at coach Ahmed Gebrel during the Reuters interview. In Palestine, you no longer have the opportunity to carry out swimming lessons, as planned. Photo: Reuters The swimming training that failed SwimHope Palestine was the name of the initiative, which was supposed to start in autumn 2023. But swimming hope was extinguished and was not carried out because of the war. – Seeing that those who swam for emergency help drown, hits you hard. Yazan worked on a project to give children in Gaza swimming lessons and that project was not carried out because of the war. It could have been avoided, and it is terribly painful to think about, Tarazi told Reuters. The UN and several humanitarian organizations have said that Israel’s acts of war in Gaza conflict with international law. Al Bawwab is upset about the situation. – There is no pool. How are you going to have Olympic swimmers if we don’t have a pool? There are no trainers or infrastructure. Nothing, he says to the news agency. “GIVE PEACE A CHANCE”: That’s what Valerie Tarazi’s flag says. Photo: AP – We are not in the political business This week, the Palestinian Olympic Committee asked the IOC to stop Israel’s participation in the summer games in Paris, due to the war in Gaza. – Many Israeli athletes were guilty of breaking the Olympic charter by carrying out official visits to combat battalions at the border with Gaza, Jayousi believes. DEMONSTRATION: Several demonstrators want the liberation of Palestine. Photo: Håvard Greger Hagen / news Everywhere you go in Paris, there are police officers on the streets. Among other things, the organizer fears large Palestine demonstrations. On Tuesday, news passed by a demonstration in support of Palestine and at the soccer match between Israel and Mali on Wednesday, several supporters had brought Palestinian flags. But it is out of the question to ban Israeli athletes, according to IOC president Thomas Bach. – We are not in the political business, we are here to complete our mission of gathering the athletes, he said during a press conference on Tuesday. Jayousi tells news that they have not received an official response from the IOC. In the past, the IOC has excluded Russia and Belarus from the Olympics because of the war in Ukraine. Now athletes from these countries can participate as neutrals. The swimming competitions already started on the first day of the Olympics, Saturday 27 June. Here you will find the entire Olympic programme. PRESIDENTIAL MEETING: French President Emmanuel Macron and IOC President Thomas Bach. Photo: AP Published 30/07/2024, at 17.05 Updated 30.07.2024, at 17.09
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– They swim to survive – Olympics Paris 2024
