Swimmer al Bawwab, who was born in Saudi Arabia and grew up in Dubai, echoed her sentiments. The 24-year-old, who has family in the West Bank, said he hoped to show the world that Palestinians in Gaza and beyond simply want “the same rights” as everyone else.
Competing in the Olympics, he said, was not just a point of personal pride, but also his “way of using sports as a tool” to “prove to the world that we are also humans.”
“We also deserve the same rights,” he added. “We also want to play sports.”
In the midst of Israel’s offensive in Gaza, there have have been growing calls for Israeli athletes to be barred from competing in the upcoming Games. The athletes with whom NBC News spoke declined to comment on the matter.
Ismail, the taekwondo fighter, said he also hopes to inspire young Palestinians when he competes in the City of Lights.
“I’m thinking of kids in Palestine … in Gaza, also, and I hope they can see me as a role model,” he said in a phone interview last as he trained for the Games.
