Paralympics: Fadi Al-Deeb is the Voice of Palestine in Paris 2024
Palestinian athlete Fari Al-Deeb. Photo: X/ @CubAlejandrita
September 5, 2024 Hour: 9:45 am
The Israeli occupation forces have killed over 340 Paletinian athletes, referees, and sports personnel in Gaza.
Fadi Al-Deeb, 39, is the only member of the Olympic delegation from Gaza and the sole Palestinian athlete at the Paris 2024 Paralympic Games. Born in Shuja’iyya, east of Gaza, Al-Deeb had only 25 days to prepare for the Paralympic event, where he finished tenth in the F55 shot put final.
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However, beyond the result, Al-Deeb says he feels a greater responsibility: to represent his people, wave his flag, and show the world that “Palestine is still standing.”
A Message for the World
“I’m not here just to compete or talk about myself and my sport. I have a message from 11 million Palestinians, inside and outside the country,” Al-Deeb said after his competition on Monday.
“I’m here to give a voice to over 40,000 people in Gaza who have been killed, and more than 100,000 who have been injured. I’m here to give a voice to those who have been disabled by the war,” he added.
Al-Deeb has lost more than 15 members of his family, including his brother, due to the ongoing bombings against the Gaza Strip over the past 11 months.
While his community faces escalating conflict, Al-Deeb competed with the hope of representing the aspirations and dreams of his people.
A Story of Tenacity
In 2001, during the Palestinian uprising known as the Second Intifada, Al-Deeb was shot in the back by an Israeli sniper. From that moment, he was unable to walk due to fractures in his vertebrae.
But the athlete has transformed his pain into determination, finding a renewed sense of purpose and motivation in sports. His disability and the conditions in Gaza have forced Al-Deeb to stay away from his family for 10 years.
Since beginning his career on the national team in 2008, he has competed in table tennis, basketball, and athletics, excelling in shot put, javelin, and discus throw.
Throughout his athletic career, he has won medals in all three throwing disciplines at the International Athletics Meetings for the Disabled, held in Tunisia.
The Impact of the Zionist Offensive on Palestinian Sports
Since October 2023, the offensive of the Israeli occupation forces against Gaza has claimed the lives of more than 340 athletes, referees, and sports personnel, according to the Palestinian Olympic Committee.
Among the victims is Majed Abu Maraheel, the first Palestinian Olympic representative, who died due to a lack of medical care in the Nuseirat refugee camp. Figures like Mohammed Barakat, a three-time international soccer player, coach Hani Al-Masdar, and volleyball player Ibrahim Qusaya have also been killed by the Zionist occupation forces.
Additionally, Israeli bombs have taken the lives of dozens of young athletes, like Yasmin Sharaf, a karate practitioner who was only six years old. This devastating impact has destroyed 58 sports facilities, symbolizing not only the loss of lives but also the destruction of the sporting aspirations of a people still fighting for their identity and rights.
teleSUR/ JF Source: EFE