Mohammed Hamada, the first Palestinian weightlifter to compete in the Olympics has lost his place in the Paris Olympics because of the war in Gaza.
Speaking to Al Jazeera, he said that he used to carry 500 liters of water everyday from a distance, as he was the fittest in the family. The 22-year-old athlete, who bore the Palestinian flag in the 2021 Tokyo Olympics sustained injuries on his knees from the excessive weight he had to carry to support his family.
Before the war, Olympian Hamada had won Gold in Junior World Weightlifting Championships in 2022. During the war, he was malnourished along with his family, who were in Northern Gaza. He told Al Jazeera that often the only food that was available to them was cattle feed.
The weightlifter had lost 20 kg in addition to his knee injury, making him unable to qualify for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
The Palestinian Olympic team was well received upon their arrival in Paris. Palestine’s Olympic athletes including swimmer Yazan Al Bawwab said that they see sports as a tool of peace and it is not the medals, but spreading awareness of the Palestinian cause that is important.
Yazan Al Bawwab, who waived the Palestinian at Paris Olympics, added that it is amazing to be able to raise the flag at the event while protesters around the world get arrested while raising the Palestinian flag.
