To be in Paris to raise the Palestinian flag and to say the word "Palestine" is already a win, Palestinian Olympic swimmer Yazan Al Bawwab has told Xinhua during a recent video interview.
The 24-year-old Palestinian young man will compete in the Men's 100-meter backstroke in the upcoming Paris Olympic Games.
"For any Palestinian, it doesn't matter how you swim or how you do your competition, to be here and to be like the rest of the world is the win," he said.
Al Bawwab, who has already arrived in the French capital, will be the Palestinian team's flag bearer at the opening ceremony, and this is his second Olympics after Tokyo.
As the conflict in Gaza has entered its tenth month, the Palestinian team has received more attention.
"There are more eyes on Palestine. There's more media coverage on Palestine. There are more people caring about Palestine," he told Xinhua, adding some athletes have asked about his family in Palestine.
The Palestinian death toll rose to 39,145 and injuries to 90,257 since Israel launched a large-scale offensive against Hamas in Gaza to retaliate against a Hamas rampage on Oct. 7, 2023, according to Gaza-based health authorities on Wednesday.
Around 1,200 people were killed in Israel and more than 200 were taken hostage.
Al Bawwab's father had also dreamt of being a swimmer. However, after leaving Palestine at a young age, he faced hardships, including sleeping on the road, which prevented him from pursuing his dream. Born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Dubai, Al Bawwab took up his father's dream and carried it forward.
During the past year, he was training himself for 10 hours a week. "I have had a very difficult time. I had to work to support myself to swim," he said.
Since he got into the Paris-based training camp, he has doubled the training duration to 20 hours a week before the Olympics. "This time, I can do better than in Tokyo," Al Bawwab said.
He considers himself "an ambassador of Palestine, not formally," and he also wants to enjoy the Games.
"I know many athletes in the Gaza Strip and West Bank who have a high passion for sports and cling to their dreams despite difficulties. As Palestinians, when we have a passion, we keep doing it, even if everything is closed in front," stressed the young man.
"Sports are amazing and it's a way to spread joy around a lot of people. I'm thankful for that," he said.
(Xinhua)
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