Paris Olympics: Palestinian athletes carry Gaza pain to global competition

Arab teams gather in France as home country ties are highlighted in opening rounds

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Calls in France for an “Olympic truce” during the Paris 2024 Summer Games have failed, and Palestinian athletes feel pressure to raise awareness about the Gaza war’s devastating human cost.

In Paris, members of the Arab community said they hoped that, despite international tensions and political uncertainty in France, the Games would be a moment of celebration.

The Games are being held under a cloud, with the wars in Gaza and Ukraine shaping the scenes in Paris.

Palestinian Olympic Committee president Jibril Rajoub was greeted on Thursday at dawn at Charles de Gaulle Airport by a group of activists holding Palestinian flags and chanting “long live the struggle of the Palestinian people".

Mr Rajoub repeated his call to boycott Israel over its war on Gaza, which has killed more than 39,100 people. The Israeli army began its offensive after Hamas-led militants attacked southern Israel on October 7, killing about 1,200.

“For legal, moral and human and sports reason, Israel has lost its right to take part in this altruistic event,” Mr Rajoub told reporters.

Such calls have fallen on deaf ears at the International Olympic Committee and in the French government, drawing accusations of double standards.

Russian athletes have been subject to tight restrictions due to the war in Ukraine and have to compete under a neutral banner.

But France has maintained its support for Israeli athletes, despite growing international condemnation of Israel's conduct in Gaza.

French Sports Minister Amelie Oudea-Castera described as “shameful” a recent statement made by left-wing legislator, Thomas Portes, claiming Israeli athletes were “not welcome".

“There is an Olympic truce. We have a responsibility to contribute to global harmony,” Ms Oudea-Castera told local radio on Tuesday.

Palestinian athletes greeting Mr Rajoub were careful not to comment on the presence of Israeli athletes, but said they were keen to use the Olympic Games as a platform to highlight the plight of their people.

“It's not about the medals. It's about reaching the most people about the Palestinian cause,” swimmer Yazan Al Bawwab told The National. “If a medal gets me more awareness, that's what I care about, for me personally, sport is a tool for peace.”

Palestinians are not able to practise sports properly because of a lack of infrastructure, said Al Bawwab, adding there is “not one pool in Palestine.”

“It's unfortunate that an athlete like me, instead of talking about my participation, instead of talking about my races and medals, I'm talking about kids being killed. I'm talking about trying to get human rights,” he said.

Just raising the Palestinian flag was also a source of pride for Mr Al Bawwab. “Some protesters, they raise the flag, the police get them. Nobody can talk to me,” he said.

Palestinian flags, which were raised in support of Gaza on Wednesday evening at an Israel-Mali football match at the Parc des Princes, have been banned at some pro-Palestine events in France.

A Dubai resident, Mr Al Bawwab said he had received both negative and positive attention in the past two weeks as he trained in the city of Nanterre, north-west of Paris.

“I do get a lot of people looking at me and staring, but I don't care,” he said, dismissing the idea that such attention could interfere with his training.

“The pressure is on the Palestinian people. This is nothing.”

There are eight Palestinian athletes taking part in the Olympic Games. Wassim Abu Sal, 20, is the only member of the delegation who lives in the occupied West Bank. He shared his excitement about competing in a world-class event.

“I'm proud to be here representing Palestine,” said Mr Abu Sal, a boxer trained in Ramallah with a Cairo-based coach from Gaza. Gazans cannot travel to the occupied West Bank.

US-born swimmer Valerie Tarazi added: “Our goal is to compete, absolutely, but our goal is also to tell everyone's story. Every Palestinian has a unique story because we are located all over the world.”

Excitement about the Olympic Games has been slow to spread through the French capital but noticeably picked up with the first football matches on Wednesday.

Egypt drew 0-0 with the Dominican Republic, but Morocco beat Argentina 2-1 in a match that was suspended for two hours after crowd trouble.

“I've been waiting for the Games with passion since last year,” said Idi, a 50-year-old lorry driver from Tunisia, as he sat in a cafe in the northern suburb of Aubervilliers to watch the football matches with his friends.

The only athlete to attract Idi's attention was Tunisian swimmer Ahmed Hafnaoui.

“To be honest nobody else interests me. I'm crazy about football,” Idi said.

His family, who are on holiday in Tunisia, have asked him to have a live video phone call with them on Friday evening during the first-ever open-air opening ceremony.

There will be more than 200,000 free spots for the event, which will take place along the river Seine in the centre of Paris.

Hassan Saleh, a 27-year-old waiter at an Egyptian cafe in the 18th arrondissement, also hopes to be part of the crowd to catch a glimpse of the ceremony.

Details have been kept under wraps but it is expected to include pop stars such as Celine Dion and Lady Gaga.

“I've been counting down the days,” Mr Saleh told The National. “It's an exciting event that has brought many tourists to France. It is very well organised and safe. The rumours claiming it is not safe are false.”

Mr Saleh, who arrived in Paris from Egypt 10 months ago, was alarmed by the recent shift to the far-right in French politics.

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Marine Le Pen's Rassemblement National, which obtained its best results in recent European and snap elections, had campaigned against immigration with a particular focus on foreigners from Muslim countries.

The far-right's results were limited in the second round of the snap election by alliances between leftists and the centrists.

But the results have caused political uncertainty in France, with many officials complaining that it would cast a shadow over the Olympic Games.

“It was difficult to see France shifting towards the right,” said Mr Saleh. “It is a country built on freedoms and human rights. Since my childhood, I've heard that France is the country of human rights.”