NANTERRE, France (AP) – The father of refugee Yazan Al Bawwab has yet to achieve his goal of swimming in the Olympics. He had to leave Palestine at the age of 18, traveling around Europe and the Middle East, even selling tomatoes in Italy at one point to get by.
Finally opening a real estate business in Dubai, Rashad Al Bawwab made sure that his son Yazan had the time and training to swim to achieve what he could not. But work prevented the father from going to Paris to see his son’s final Olympic race.
Yazan Al Bawwab had no supporters in the Sunday seats. He said he swam for his father while honoring the memory of those killed during the Israel-Hamas conflict. He spoke after his race without official status. Al Bawwab is one of eight Palestinian athletes at the Games.
The son did not hear his father complain.
“He was the one who suffered so I could talk about it,” Al Bawwab said. “It was his dream to be a swimmer and he made me a swimmer.”
A two-time Olympian, Al Bawwab was born in Saudi Arabia and raised in Dubai. He studied aeronautical engineering in Canada and earned a master’s degree in London.
He said he knows many Palestinians who have been killed or injured, including the coach he lived with at the Asian Games. He talked about a runner he knew who was injured and who didn’t falter. Now he posts pictures of himself tied up trying to eat rice.
Participating in the Paris Games gave 24-year-old Al Bawwab a brief respite from the stress. the ongoing Middle East conflict. And being here reminds him of all the Palestinian athletes who don’t have this opportunity or even the equipment to train.
He spoke of weightlifter Mohammad Hamada, who weighs 100 kilograms (220.46 pounds) and can’t get enough calories to sustain himself.
“He lost 20 kilos, because he had no food and was still trying to compete. He was not qualified, therefore, it is unfortunate for these circumstances, “said Al Bawwab. “… Also, being a Palestinian athlete, these are the things I talk about, I talk about the people who were killed, not with my swimming.”
Palestinian Olympic Committee President Jibril Rajoub said that around 400 athletes of various levels are estimated to have died since October. The conflict started after Hamas attacked Israel on Oct. 7, killed about 1,200. The war has killed more than 39,200 Palestinians, according to the report Ministry of Healthwhich does not distinguish between combatants and civilians in its numbers.
Al Bawwab, who is half Italian, has been in Palestine for the past six months. He said that for the most part he has been treated well and with respect to Paris.
“Generally people like Palestine. And either people like Palestine or they hate it completely, there is no middle class there,” he said. “… Many people don’t want us to be here, they don’t want to see the flag, they don’t want to hear the name of our country. They don’t want me there, they want me gone. But here I am.”
Al Bawwab ran in the first heat of the 100m backstroke among the slow qualifiers and that was it. It was a one-man swim representing Palestine.
Al Bawwab hopes that one day Palestine will start building sports facilities. Currently there is no pool suitable for training, teaching coaches or even teaching children to swim.
“There is a war going on, what should you do when there is a war?” he said.
He intends to one day take a more formal role in Palestinian sports leadership efforts, even though some of the names he started making have died.
Building enough playgrounds can “give many people a way out, it can make them smile at least five minutes a day where they don’t smile. “That’s why I believe in sports, that’s why I believe we should invest in Palestine, in Palestinian sports, but no one wants.”
He added: “We have to get past the issue of people first and then start talking about sports.”
Once back home in Dubai, Al Bawwab will return to selling lounge chairs and fire extinguishers, having retired from his father’s business. He also works as a consultant and sports coach.
Al Bawwab spoke for more than 30 minutes after his race. He said he appreciated, even for a brief moment, the opportunity to share his story for the world.
“I’m strong,” he said, “but I can go home and cry.”
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AP Summer Olympics: https://apnews.com/hub/2024-paris-olympic-games
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