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From Palestine to Beijing
China Daily/Ma`an
Aug. 11, 19, 2008
http://www.chinadaily.net/olympian/2008-08/19/content_6948805.htm
http://www.maannews.net/en/index.php?opr=ShowDetails&ID=31240

Original title: Running from a war zone

Olympians face the fear of failure but few have to overcome such tremendous obstacles as Nader Al Masri.

The Palestine runner comes from the Beit Hanoun refugee camp in the Gaza Strip, a frequent battle zone between Hamas and Israeli troops.

The sound of gunfire and exploding bombs punctuate his daily training schedule.



Getting out of Gaza was a triumph in itself for the 28-year-old athlete because Israeli authorities had denied his permit for months.

Following appeals and an expos in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth, the Israeli government relented, allowing Al Masri to leave Gaza to train in Jericho and then to travel to China to follow his Olympic dream. For 10 years, Al Masri has trained for the 5,000m race in the Olympics.

Every morning, he would lace up his tattered running shoes and run along bomb-cratered roads. Local children would shout: `Run, Nader, Run!`

Given the precarious situation and lack of facilities, Al Masri`s best time -- 14 minutes 24 seconds -- is about a minute slower than the qualifying pace.

But the Olympics offer 90 special slots for athletes who wouldn`t otherwise qualify.

Al Masri was one of the four athletes representing the Palestinian territories in Beijing.

The other three are two swimmers Zakeyeh Nassar and Hamzeh Abdu, and another runner Ghadir Al-Ghrouf.

The team spent 30 days at a sports camp in China where they received training from Chinese coaches.

Palestinian sports exert Omar Al-Jafari, who works for Ma`an News Agency in Bethlehem, doesn`t expect the Palestinian team to win any medals, but only because they lack the opportunities to train that other athletes are afforded.

Palestine participated in the summer games for the first time in Atlanta in 1996, following the creation of the Palestinian Authority and limited Palestinian self-rule in 1994.

Palestinian athletes also competed in Sydney in 2000 and Athens four years ago.

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Original title: Representing Palestine in Beijing


Ma`an – Two swimmers and two runners are representing Palestine for the fourth time in history at the summer Olympic Games in Beijing.

Zakeyeh Nassar, a swimmer from Bethlehem, Hamzeh Abdu, a swimmer from Jerusalem, Nader Al-Masri, a runner from Gaza, and Ghadir Al-Ghrouf, a runner from Jericho will all represent their country despite the challenges of building an Olympic team in an occupied and physically fragmented nation.

The four sported kuffiyeh-patterned shirts while marching in the opening ceremony on Friday.

The team spent 30 days at a sports camp in China where they received training from Chinese coaches. While the coaches say that the Palestinian team is talented, they lamented a lack of sports facilities and training opportunities in Palestine.

Hamza Abdu trains in a 25-meter pool, half the length of an Olympic pool.

`There aren’t any Olympic-size swimming pools in Palestine and the ones that are available here are just summer swimming pools and small ones, and Palestinian swimmers are training in these inadequate pools. In addition, their trainers aren’t of a high enough standard,` said Palestinian sports exert Omar Al-Jafari, who works for Ma`an News Agency in Bethlehem.

`Regarding the runners I can say that unfortunately there aren’t any full-size tracks for them to run into in all of Palestine, and runners just train in any place that they find suitable to run, sometimes in streets crowded with cars,` added Al-Jafari.

Ghadir Al-Ghrouf, the sprinter from Jericho, trains on a dirt track. Nader Al-Masri, the Gazan who plans to compete in the 5km running event, trains by jogging halfway down the 40km Gaza Strip.

Al-Masri was denied an exit permit by Israeli authorities for months. Following appeals by human rights organizations and an exposé in the Israeli newspaper Yedioth, the Israeli government relented, allowing Al-Masri to leave Gaza to train in Jericho and then to travel to China.

Al-Jafari said he doesn`t expect the Palestinian team to win any medals, but only because they lack the opportunities to train that other athletes are afforded.

Palestine participated in the summer games for the first time in Atlanta in 1996, following the creation of the Palestinian Authority and limited Palestinian self-rule in 1994. Palestinian athletes also competed in the 2000 Games in Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.

Earlier article: http://www.kibush.co.il/show_file.asp?num=26248


A.K.
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