Pursuing peace and recognition: Palestinian athletes at the Paris Olympics

The Olympics brings together athletes and fans from all over the world. They are proud to stand under their flag - and given recent events, some have particularly huge reasons to stand tall. 

Palestine has been recognized as a member of the International Olympic Committee since 1995, and has had representatives at every Summer Games since. At Paris 2024 there are eight competitors representing Palestine, the most in any Games so far – across athletics, boxing, judo, shooting, swimming and taekwondo. 

CGTN spoke to three of those competitors.

Shooting for 'good vibes'

Jorge Antonio Salhe, 49-year-old Chilean-Palestinian, is representing Palestine at the Paris Olympics in the skeet shooting category. 

Speaking to CGTN Europe, he shared how his family "are all very very happy" and they send him "all the good vibes and thoughts."

"Chile loves the Palestinians very much. The Palestinian community in Chile is more than 500,000 people, so the truth is that I am so proud to be here representing our country," added the Olympian.

"Palestine is going through such hard and cruel times now. So, more than ever, we have to use all our strength and show that Palestine needs peace and that everything happening in the Middle East can be over once and for all," expressed Salhe.

Discussing the global recognition of Palestine and its flag, he said how heartwarming it was that at the opening ceremony of the 2024 Games, the Palestinian Olympians were made to feel "like they were at home."

"Everyone is realizing that it [the war] has to end, and we noticed that by how they welcomed us."

He acknowledged that the group felt energized and encouraged as some in the crowd chanted, "Free Palestine! Long live Palestine!

"We are very important for the country now. We are the face of Palestine today to the world here at the Olympic Games and we have received constant support from all Palestinians, both in Palestine, in Chile and in all parts of the world," he said.

Salhe went on to reflect how this experience of the eight Palestinian athletes could send a message of hope to the Palestinian youth.

"We have to be stronger than ever now, and use every bit of strength we can draw from our chests to overcome this situation that must end now," said the proud Olympian.

Palestinian swimmer goes viral

Palestinian swimmer Yazan al-Bawwab, 28, recently went viral for making a peace sign in the pool during the Paris Olympics. 

In a candid interview with CGTN Europe, he shared his thoughts on the challenges of being a Palestinian athlete and his hopes for the future.

"Doing the peace sign as a Palestinian is powerful. Many are surprised we're even here. We strive not to be just numbers on a screen but to remind the world we deserve equal rights," al-Bawwab said of his viral moment from last weekend.

He said he sees sports as a vital platform to spread awareness about the ongoing war. 

"As a human being, you don't want to see people harmed. It's even harder when it's your people, your brothers, your family. I use sports to spread the message of what's happening back home," he explained.

Highlighting the lack of resources, the two-time Olympian remarked, "I am privileged, but we don't even have a pool in Palestine. Having two Olympic swimmers without a pool is a success. It shows that if we're given opportunities, we will take them. People back home have nothing, yet when given a chance, we excel."

'I just want to stop people suffering'

The swimmer reflected on the harsh realities Palestinians face as the war continues. 

"I saw a video of a baby's corpse dragged by a dog. How can you play sports after that? We see these atrocities, and it's hard, but we're here to do what we can for our country," he said.

"I just want people to stop suffering," he added. "It's not complicated. We want to be alive and have basic human rights. Some of my people don't even dream of equal rights. It's too far-fetched."

The 28-year-old is passionate about his SwimHope Palestine project, aimed at preventing drownings. 

"In Gaza, many children drown near the ocean. We aim to set up temporary pools and teach basic swimming skills to counter this," explained al-Bawwab.

"Kids from Gaza ask how to become Olympic swimmers. Without pools or nutrition, what do I tell them?" lamented al-Bawwab. "Right now, I just want kids to be alive and dream. Eventually, I hope we will have infrastructure to support education and sports."

"If I see 10,000 people dead on my phone, it's numbing. If others saw the same about their country, they'd go berserk," he concluded with a sobering thought: 

"It's an honor to be here, representing 15 million people without a recognized country," acknowledged al-Bawwab.

'It's my honor'

For Valerie Tarazi, a Palestinian swimmer and flagbearer at the Paris Olympics, participating in the Games is not just a dream come true but a profound statement of pride and responsibility. 

"It's been a dream of mine to swim at the Olympics since I was very young, so that's an accomplishment in itself. But being able to go back to my roots, represent Palestine, and then raise the flag, it's my honor. It's truly the most special feeling in the entire world," Tarazi, 24, told CGTN Europe. 

Despite the pouring rain, the unique experience of going down the River Seine was made even more memorable by the cheers of encouragement Tarazi and her teammates received.

"We've received an immense amount of support, even in the village, from fans, from people of Palestine, from my family. I've received more support than I ever thought," she said. "We use that to fuel our inner fire for competition and everything else.

Tarazi lives in the United States but maintains a deep connection to her Palestinian roots. She found a recent visit to Ramallah before the Olympics to be particularly meaningful. The trip was kept secret, and she faced difficulties at the airport. 

To get from Ramallah to Jerusalem, which is just over 20 kilometers, it took her three hours which she says "is crazy in itself."

"I'm so proud to be Palestinian and if that's what I have to go through to represent Palestine here, then I'm absolutely going to do it," the 24-year-old said with determination.

"I love living [in the United States], but do I wish I could live in Palestine? Do I wish it was safe? Absolutely!" the swimmer reflected. "We're in a situation that pretty much no other country in the world is in. I'm not here to be a politician, but I'm here to spread my stories.

'All the more reason for us to raise the flag'

"My family had to leave Gaza, my grandfather had to leave. Things were really horrible. I've had so many family members die. I've had teammates die. It's been horrible for all of us," she shared how her loved ones have had to endure unimaginable loss and hardship.

"It seems like every single day we have to go through getting phone calls of our friends or family who passed away. Even since we've been here, stuff like that has happened and it's all the more reason for us to raise the flag," Tarazi added.

The swimmer also explained the cultural significance of her the dress she wore at the opening ceremony and how it has added another layer to her Olympic experience. 

"Our uniforms are custom made. The design is the keffiyeh, a Palestinian scarf, and each of the little designs has its own meaning," she said. 

"What a lot of people don't know is that my dress was very special because we got our designer to customize it so all the embroidery is hand-stitched," she shared. "It came from an old Palestinian dress, and then any extra fabric used to make the dress was actually from Gaza. So it comes from my homeland and just to be able to wear that, it was so special to me." 

Subscribe to Storyboard: A weekly newsletter bringing you the best of CGTN every Friday