Palestinian swimmer says her goal at Olympics is to stand up for those who can't

The Manila Times

Palestinian swimmer says her goal at Olympics is to stand up for those who can't  Consul General of France Nicolas Kassianides in Jerusalem held an event in the West Bank city of Ramallah on Sunday (July 14) for Palestinian athletes who will attend Olympics 2024 Paris Games.   Among the attendees was Palestinian athlete from the diaspora Vallerie Tarazi who will be swimming to represent Palestine. She was in the US, her Grandfather was from Gaza where she still has family.   Eight Palestinian athletes will represent Palestine, one athlete — in Taekwondo — has qualified while others are training to meet the IOC standard in their sport to have priority for a wildcard.     REUTERS VIDEO   Subscribe to The Manila Times Channel - https://tmt.ph/YTSubscribe    Visit our website at https://www.manilatimes.net     Follow us:  Facebook - https://tmt.ph/facebook  Instagram - https://tmt.ph/instagram  Twitter - https://tmt.ph/twitter  DailyMotion - https://tmt.ph/dailymotion    Subscribe to our Digital Edition - https://tmt.ph/digital    Check out our Podcasts:  Spotify - https://tmt.ph/spotify  Apple Podcasts - https://tmt.ph/applepodcasts  Amazon Music - https://tmt.ph/amazonmusic  Deezer: https://tmt.ph/deezer  Tune In: https://tmt.ph/tunein   #TheManilaTimes #tmtnews #palestine #paris2024

Transcript

00:00I wish great success to all the Palestinian athletes who will go to the Olympic Games

00:05and the Paralympic Games, which will open in less than 15 days in Paris.

00:09Thank you.

00:18We come with the Palestinian Olympic Committee to facilitate their preparation

00:21in the difficult conditions that we know.

00:24Our goal as athletes, and I speak on behalf of the eight other athletes

00:27that will be competing in the Paralympics too,

00:32but our goal is to inspire the younger generation.

00:36Sport has given us more than we could ever ask for.

00:39It's given us an identity. It's given us something greater than ourselves,

00:43a greater purpose.

00:45We stand with the flag to represent the millions of Palestinians around the world

00:50who have been silenced, who have been censored, who don't have a voice.

00:54And that is our goal, is we want to stand for those people who can't.

01:06I strive to represent Palestine every single day of my life.

01:10I train at my university and I wear a flag on my cap every single day.

01:14I don't represent myself, I represent the people of Palestine,

01:19and I said it in my interview earlier, is I will not stop talking

01:24because we are the very select few Palestinians that people will listen to all over the world.

01:38I want the world to know that we are people.

01:42We are not just a number. It is not just a game that people are playing.

01:46This is real. It happens every single day. It is a reality.

01:49And Palestinians all over the world have to face this every single day.

01:53I didn't choose to leave. My grandfather did not choose to leave Gaza.

01:57We were simply kicked out and we could not return.

02:00My house is still in Gaza. It's right outside Arafa and we have no idea what happened to it.

02:16For more UN videos visit www.un.org

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