Palestinian boxer Waseem Abu Sal follows the instructions of his Gazawi coach, who lives in Egypt, remotely due to Israeli restrictions on movement that prevent him from training him personally, in preparation for the 2024 Paris Olympics.
At the age of 20, Abu Sal is preparing to become the first boxer from Palestine to participate in the Olympics after receiving an invitation, and he hopes to write his name as the first Palestinian athlete to win a medal.
Although he did not qualify for the Olympic Games scheduled to be held in Paris during the period between July 26 and August 11, Abu Sal received an invitation from the Olympic Committee with the aim of having all the countries under its banner represented.
"It's been my dream since I was 10 years old," Abu Sal told AFP at his gym in Ramallah in the occupied West Bank. "I used to wake up every day wondering how I would make it to the Olympics."
In the lightweight category (under 63 kg), Abu Sal will participate in his first Olympic fight on July 28, after partial training remotely with his coach Ahmed Harara, a 32-year-old Palestinian from the Gaza Strip who has been living in Egypt for several years.
The two men can only meet abroad because Israel does not allow Gazans to travel to the Palestinian territories, except in exceptional cases.
The Palestinians have been officially represented on the International Olympic Committee since 1995, despite the lack of international recognition of the State of Palestine.
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