Running from a war zone

(China Daily)
Updated: 2008-08-19 08:36

All 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.

Agencies

(China Daily 08/19/2008 page38)