22 July 31, 2016 Sports

Arab women athletes competing in Rio

Samar Kadi for the past two years and is actually training with Russian athletes. The same applies to Ghofran Moham- Beirut mad, who has trained in several camps abroad and will be compet- ar, displacement, ing in athletics,” Abbas said. poor facilities, In addition to the official Syrian scarce funds and team, two Syrian athletes, including social pressures will 18-year-old female swimmer Yusra not stop Arab wom- Mardini, will be part of the first refu- Wen athletes from competing at the gee team to compete at the Olympic in . Games. Like millions of compatri- “Of course the absence of equip- ots, Mardini fled violence at home ment and facilities hinders the ef- and is settled in where she ficiency of my training. However, trained with the help of the German my ambition to make a record helps federation. She and her sister Sarah me overcome all hindrances on the were among ’s brightest swim- way,” said Egyptian diver Maha Ab- ming stars until the war interrupted del Salam, 17. their progress. Abdel Salam is among 121 athletes representing Egypt at the Olympics. Saudi Arabia will be The delegation includes 36 women, sending four women the largest female representation in Olympians to Rio in decades. 2016. Abdel Salam has been preparing for the Games for months, training Libyan swimmer Daniah Hagul, three times a day and strictly fol- 17, is the sole woman represent- lowing a diet prescribed by her Chi- ing her country at the Games. Few nese coach. women have ever represented Libya “We have big dreams of making at the Olympics but for Hagul, her history and I think we are more than parents’ decision to go into exile to capable of doing just that,” Abdel Malta in the 1990s was a catalyst. Olympic refugee team member Yusra Mardini practices at the Olympic Aquatics Stadium ahead of the Salam said. In Libya, very few girls know how Rio Olympics in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on July 28th. to swim or would wear a For Syrian athletes, suit in public but, being raised in the the odds are greater, Mediterranean island, she started egation to Rio. ans to Rio in 2016 to represent the male athletes to the Rio Games than compounded by war swimming at the age of 4. In addi- Table tennis player Mariana Saha- conservative kingdom. They will be males, with 14 women competitors and scarce funds. tion to defying conservative mind- kian qualified for the Rio Olympic competing in judo, fencing and run- and 12 males. They will compete in sets and social pressure, Hagul was Games by winning the Hong Kong ning. track and field events. For Syrian athletes, the odds are faced with financial challenges be- Olympics Qualification tourna- Female athletic representation Tunisia fields 19 female athletes greater, compounded by war and cause of conflict in Libya. A crowd- ment. She recently returned from from other Gulf Cooperation Coun- for the Games, including world- scarce funds. Even after five years funding campaign, “Help fund Da- a 15-day training camp in China. tries (GCC) is also set to increase, class runner Habiba Ghribi, who of devastating conflict, Syria will niah’s Olympic dream” collected “It was a good experience as I was although the majority competing won the gold medal in the 3,000m be represented at the Rio Games by more than $7,700 to finance the cost practicing with Chinese coaches will not do so under the Interna- steeplechase four years ago at the seven athletes, three of whom are of training and coaching. and players, the number one in the tional Olympic Committee’s tradi- London Games. women. Lebanese women athletes out- world,” Sahakian said before travel- tional qualifying system but rather Morocco also sends 19 female ath- “Most of the participants will be number men in the nine-member ling to Rio. through its wild-card system. letes to the Olympics and Algeria’s competing in track and field and team. “Lebanese women have Sahakian said she hopes to From the United Arab Emirates, Olympic team includes ten women. athletic sports. They have been always had a good presence in achieve good results: “We are going four female athletes will compete mainly preparing for the big day in sports… We have athletes who are such a long way from to in running events and weightlifting. Samar Kadi is The Arab Weekly’s training camps abroad,” journalist completely dedicated to training. Rio and I will do my best to make it Qatar, which like neighbouring Sau- Travel and Society sections Mohamad Abbas said. Some have taken leave from work worthwhile.” di Arabia had female participation editor. Amr Emam in Cairo, Khalil Female swimmer Bayan Juma has to be able to move from one training After the landmark participation for the first time in 2012, will send Hamlo in , Mohammed been able to train thanks to a schol- camp to another inside and outside of its two women athletes in the two female athletes, a swimmer and Alkhereiji in London and Lamine arship from the Russian sports fed- Lebanon,” said Mazen Ramadan, 2012 Olympics, Saudi Arabia will a sprinter. Ghanmi in Tunis contributed to eration. “She has been working hard the head of Lebanon’s Olympic del- be sending four women Olympi- Bahrain will be sending more fe- this report. Israel hinders world athletes’ entry to West Bank

Malak Hasan West Bank. The Israeli action was ticed day and night to compete at viewed as an attempt to undermine the tournament, with the young- an international event many Pales- est girl being only 9. She and many Ramallah tinians considered a symbol of in- other kids dream about competing dependence and sovereignty. and winning.” alestinians celebrated Head of the Palestinian Taek- Palestinians in Gaza and the West hosting and doing ex- wondo Union Omar Kabha said Is- Bank cannot travel freely and have tremely well at the first rael undermined the event as well to apply for special Israeli travel Open International Taek- as the athletes’ right to practice and entry permits, a process that wondo G1 Tournament in sports freely. proves extremely difficult when Pspite of an Israeli attempt to foil “Israel is a member of the [In- criteria and procedures are not the sports event by barring athletes ternational] Olympic Committee clear. from entering the West Bank. and yet it failed to comply with the Gisha, the Legal Centre for Free- The tournament, which took Olympic fundamental principles, dom of Movement, said most Israe- place in mid-July at Birzeit Univer- which state that ‘every individual li protocols and procedures are not sity north of Ramallah, was the first must have the possibility of prac- made public, which is in violation international taekwondo competi- ticing sport, without discrimina- of Israeli Freedom of Information tion on Palestinian soil. Participat- tion of any kind and in the Olympic Act 5758-1998.” ing athletes came from about two spirit’,” he said. Palestinians in the West Bank dozen countries, including South and the Gaza Strip are not aware Korea, the United States, Spain, Israel also prevented of the criteria according to which Sweden, Russia, , Iraq, Bah- 35 team members and their applications are approved or rain, Kuwait, Qatar, Libya, Morocco staff from the Gaza denied. The same applies to for- and Tunisia. Strip from coming to eigners trying to enter the West Palestinian participants claimed the West Bank to Bank. 60 medals — the most of any partic- participate. Kabha said that, while several ipating countries. Jordan was next athletes were able to apply for en- with 58 medals while Morocco won Kabha said Israel did not issue try visas through embassies abroad seven, Turkey four and the United entry permits for Nigerian and Kyr- and others received a visa upon ar- States one medal. gyzstani team members in addition rival at the borders, “we tried to get Jibril Rajoub, president of the to a number of Jordanians. visas for 250 participants but only Palestinian Olympic Committee, “A Turkish and a Jordanian coach 170 were issued. No reason for the said the tournament was a perfect arrived at the borders but were rejection was given to the Palestin- opportunity for the Palestinian forced to turn around and miss the ian side.” people to connect with the world championship,” he noted. Mohammad Yousef, 30, who at- through sport, which has become a Moroccan athletes spent many tended the tournament, said Israel common language that defies bor- hours at the Israeli crossing, which partially succeeded in undermin- ders. Kabha argued was an attempt to ing the tournament by barring Pal- Although this was not the first in- isolate Palestinians from the inter- estinian and international athletes ternational competition that Pales- national sports community. from entering the West Bank, put- tine hosted, it was the first tourna- Israel also prevented 35 team ting several obstacles in the way of ment involving an individual sport. members and staff from the Gaza those who were allowed entry and More than 350 participants from Strip from coming to the West Bank delaying teams for hours at bor- 23 countries were expected to com- to participate. ders. pete in the tournament but Israel Mohammad Hajaj, media coor- Taekwondo fighters spar at the opening of an international com- barred dozens of athletes as well dinator at the Olympic committee, Malak Hasan is a reporter based in petition in Ramallah, West Bank. as entire teams from entering the said: “Gaza’s athletes have prac- Ramallah.