Palestinian Olympic swimmer is living a personal dream, fighting for her homeland through sport

By Rosanne Roobeek, CNN

Paris (CNN) — In the heart of Paris, the 2024 Summer Olympic Games are in full swing. The Games are unique in bringing athletes together from around the globe in a celebration of sport and unity. Among them is a small but determined group of athletes chosen to represent a nation embroiled in conflict.

“This has been my personal dream for the longest time,” 24-year-old Valerie Tarazi told CNN Sport’s Amanda Davies, “But I’m not here for myself.”

Tarazi, a swimmer who competed in the 200-meter individual medley, is one of eight Palestinians competing in Paris. Just like every athlete talented enough to make it this far, the Olympic Games marks the culmination of decades of work and investment, but for these Palestinians, the Games represent more than just a sporting achievement.

“The harder I train and the better I do, the more recognition Palestine gets,” Tarazi said. “That’s our mission, I fight for my country through sport.”

The eight-strong team has formed a close-knit bond, driven by a shared sense of purpose. While most athletes have been consumed with training and peaking at the right time for a career defining opportunity to capture a medal, the Palestinian team’s journey to Paris has been fraught with challenges, both logistical and emotional.

“We’re here [for each other] in the highest of highs and the lowest of lows. And we’ve talked about what we want to do as a mission, as athletes,” Tarazi said. “We want to spread our stories and the message of peace.”

Flag bearer

Tarazi was selected alongside boxer Wasim Abu Sal to carry the Palestinian flag at the opening ceremony.

“Honestly, it’s the biggest honor that I can ever have,” she explains.

“Especially at a time where Palestine’s going through a war and a lot of people don’t want us to raise the flag. A lot of people don’t want us to be here. So being able to do that, go down the Seine, honor my family and honor my country means the world,” Tarazi continued.

While Palestine does not have full international recognition and is a non-member observer state at the United Nations, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) recognized the National Olympic Committee of Palestine as a member in 1995, allowing Palestinian athletes to compete in the Games.

The significance of carrying the flag at an opening ceremony in France, a country that does not officially recognize the state of Palestine, was not lost on Tarazi.

“Someone actually asked me the other day if the Palestinian flag is a symbol of resistance,” she said. “And, I said, ‘Every other country in the world has a flag. Why can’t we have a flag?’ We’re people, we’re just like everyone else, we’re just athletes, we want to be here and compete.”

Casualties

These Olympics are taking place against the backdrop of the war in Gaza, where more than 39,000 Palestinians have been killed since the October 7 Hamas attacks.

According to Gaza’s Ministry of Health, as of July, around 400 athletes, coaches and sporting officials have been killed or wounded.

Among the casualties in Gaza is Palestine’s first ever Olympian and the flag bearer from the 1996 Games, Majed Abu Maraheel, who reportedly died in the Nuseirat refugee camp earlier this year due to kidney failure.

Asked about Maraheel, Tarazi reflects on following in his footsteps.

“He did it for a greater cause, he did it for the Palestinian people. The same way I do it, the same way Wasim, our other flag bearer did it,” she said. “I raise the flag for all of those people, the very innocent victims that had honestly just passed away because of this conflict.”

The emotional toll of the situation in Gaza is a constant challenge for the team.

“Why do we have to be at the Olympics getting phone calls about our relatives dying?” Tarazi questioned.

Some teammates have received such devastating calls, a grim reality that has sadly become the norm: “It’s almost like – we’re not numb to it because it still impacts us, but it’s a normal thing now. And it shouldn’t be.”

The reality of the situation on the ground in Gaza is rarely far from Tarazi’s mind in Paris.

“I use the fire from everyone else when I am going through a hard time. I just think I could be with my family in Gaza right now, and I could be with my friends who are struggling to find clean water and my little bit of pain or suffering, or one stupid comment. You know, that doesn’t mean anything compared to what they’re going through.”

Support and hope

Despite the challenges, the athletes have found solace and support from Palestinians worldwide. Messages of encouragement and solidarity have poured in, reminding them of the importance of their mission.

“I’ve received so much love and support from people in Gaza,” Tarazi noted. “That means the world to me, that they know I’m here to represent my family, my roots, and everything like that.”

For Tarazi and her teammates, the Olympics are a rare opportunity to shine a light on the Palestinian experience and to inspire hope through sport. The fact that there is no regulation-sized pool in all of Gaza underscores the significant obstacles they face in developing athletic talent.

“For the basic human right of sport to just not be a reality in Palestine, that breaks my heart,” she said. “It’s given me life skills that I can use for everything. So I know that’s definitely what we’re looking for the future: making sport a human right.”

As the Palestinian team competes in Paris, Tarazi says they are not just athletes, they are ambassadors for peace, unity, and resilience.

“We want to inspire the younger generation, the next generation of athletes,” Tarazi said. “We all have a common goal. We all strive to promote the Olympic Charter in peace, unity, and solidarity. And that’s so important to everyone here.”

The-CNN-Wire
™ & © 2024 Cable News Network, Inc., a Warner Bros. Discovery Company. All rights reserved.