The Independent ran a story a few days ago by their Middle East correspondent Bel Trew about a Palestinian girl in Gaza, 13 year old Fatima Abu Shedeg, who dreams of going to the Olympics in 2020.
Attention Swimmers: Don't miss this story from Gaza
The Independent ran a story a few days ago by their Middle East correspondent Bel Trew about a Palestinian girl in Gaza, 13 year old Fatima Abu Shedeg, who dreams of going to the Olympics in 2020. In the article and accompanying video online, Fatima tells of how she became a swimmer, encouraged by her swim coach as a way to cope with the trauma of being in the house when her father was killed and uncle was injured by an Israeli army airstrike in 2014.
Despite not having a proper Olympic-size pool or swimming equipment due to conditions caused by the blockade, Fatima trains with her coach Amjed Tantesh in the hopes of qualifying for the Olympics. Mr. Tantesh has taught more than 5,400 Palestinian children to swim since 1999. “Sports equipment gets stuck in the ports for year and does not reach the athletes. In addition, the Israelis have in the past banned players from leaving Gaza to participate in international tournaments,” Mr. Tantesh told The Independent.
Read the full story "Meet the girl who dreams of being Gaza’s first Olympic swimmer" here. Be sure to click and watch the video on the site.
Gaza Unlocked Fact sheet on the water crisis in Gaza
