Waseem Abu Sal created history on Friday by becoming the first over Palestinian boxer to participate in the Olympics. The flag-bearer led his contingent proudly from the front, with his t-shirt bearing a powerful visual of the situation back in the war-torn nation.
Abu Sal, along with 24-year-old swimmer Valerie Tarazi, were the flag bearers for Palestine in the four-hour long opening ceremony.
Waseem Abu Sal creates history for Palestine
Palestine will be represented by 8 athletes at the Paris Games. They will compete in boxing, judo, swimming, shooting, track and field, and taekwondo.
Amid geopolitical tension between Israel and Palestine, the Palestine Olympic Committee had sent a letter to International Olympic Committee (IOC) chief Thomas Bach asking him to ban Israel, citing Israeli bombings in Gaza as a breach of the Olympic truce.
300 athletes lost their lives in Palestine
The war has killed nearly 300 athletes, referees, coaches, and other staff involved in sports. This includes Majed Abu Maraheel, the first Palestinian Olympian, who competed in Atlanta in 1996. The war also damaged sports facilities, forcing athletes from Gaza to train elsewhere.
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