The 2024 Paris Olympics have attracted attention with innovations such as cleaning the Seine River, integrating artificial intelligence, and achieving gender equality among athletes for the first time. But that’s not all that’s been a focus. As Israel’s attacks on Palestine continue, delegations of athletes from Israel and Palestine will compete in Paris. This is becoming a topic that activists around the world are following closely.
Palestine protested this situation
Palestine, which was recognized by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1995 and began participating in the Olympics in 1996, is sending eight athletes to the 2024 Paris Olympics. The Palestinian athletes, who will compete in athletics, boxing, swimming, judo, taekwondo and shooting, arrived in Paris on Thursday, July 25. The athletes were greeted by supportive crowds.
“France does not recognise Palestine as a country, so I am here to raise the flag. We are not treated like people, so when we come to do sports, people realise that we are equal to them,” said Palestinian swimmer Yazan Al-Bawwab.
The next day, athletes swam along the Seine River carrying the now-iconic red, green and black flags and the traditional keffiyeh, a symbol of Palestinian resistance. Many athletes wore embroidered Palestinian clothing.
Flag bearer Waseem Abu Sal, who will be Palestine’s first Olympic boxer, wore a white shirt with a picture of a plane dropping ammunition on a child playing soccer under a sunny sky, while Olympic swimmer and Palestine’s second flag bearer Valerie Tarazi’s outfit represented her family in Gaza.
Meanwhile, crowds gathered at public viewing areas in Paris to protest Israel’s Olympic delegation. Protesters held banners and hung posters around the city demanding Israel’s exclusion from the games. One poster read: “When it comes to killing for sport, there’s no competition,” along with an image of an Olympic podium covered in blood, bombs and the Israeli flag.
Many activists have called for a boycott of the 33rd Olympics following the inclusion of Israel’s team. There are also past examples of the IOC condemning countries’ actions: Russian athletes were banned from competing as a national team at the 2024 games after their invasion of Ukraine and were required to publicly state their military stance.
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At the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, Palestinian athletes gave a strong message against Israel with their traditional costumes and symbolic protests. This historic participation is of great importance in terms of making Palestine’s voice heard in the international arena. What do you think? Please do not forget to share your thoughts with us in the comments section below.
