Syria’s war-affected athletes off to Rio

Conflict causes several to miss out on Olympics spot, with others unable to train

BEIRUT: As Syrian gymnast Ahmad alSawas watched his country fall apart, his Olympic dream collapsed too.

The last national champion before the fighting began, he knew that supporting the anti-government side in the five-year-old civil war would prevent him from being selected for the Rio Games.

“I chose to be an athlete who participates in the revolution,” said Ahmad, who trains where he can for two hours a day — be it on a mattress on a soccer field, in a local hall or somersaulting off a wall. “I know that might cost me my future athletic career, I understand that very well.”

Syria’s Olympic Committee is sending seven athletes to compete in Rio; in athletics, swimming, judo, table tennis and weightlifting.

PHOTO: REUTERS

That the committee is run out of Damascus by the government of President Bashar alAssad has effectively ruled out anyone who lives in rebel-held areas, including the Bustan alQasr district of Aleppo where 19-year-old Ahmad makes a living selling and repairing electronic equipment in his father’s shop.

Syria’s most populous city before the war, Aleppo has been divided between government-controlled and rebel-held zones throughout the conflict, which has killed well over 250,000 people.

For Ahmad — who also fought with a rebel group for three months — being a champion athlete is part of a family tradition. His father Hisham, a Graeco-Roman wrestler, won medals in national competitions between 1983 and 2011.

Ahmad, who began gymnastics aged six, travelled to Russia for the 2012 Children of Asia games, and won the national championship in 2011, for which he received $40 from the government as a participant.

PHOTO: REUTERS

But he admits missing Rio will be a big disappointment. “I’ve been training regularly and preparing myself,” he said. However, he is doing his best to ensure his talents still leave a legacy by giving free two-hour gymnastics lessons to Aleppo children every other day.

The long road

For the four men and three women from government-controlled areas who will be representing Syria, the road to Rio is a long one.

First they will be driven from Damascus to the Lebanese capital Beirut, and from there on a series of plane journeys via Qatar to Brazil, said Syrian Olympic committee head Firas Moualla.

Moualla told Reuters the Syrian conflict and international sanctions meant athletes had missed out on funding and training opportunities. “It is difficult because they lack the opportunity to go to training camps abroad, to get the necessary European country permits to take part in championships to qualify and prepare them for [Olympic] participation,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 5^th, 2016.

Like Sports on Facebook, follow @ETribuneSports on Twitter to stay informed and join in the conversation.