Abu Dhabi: Syria’s athletes have put their lives at stake, their spirit far from broken by the bombs, missiles, death and destruction around the places they live and train, and driven by a desire to make the country proud.
Training in the country ravaged by years of civil war is different from elsewhere, but its athletes are made of different stuff, too. The ones participating in the Special Olympics (SO) here are fine examples of that.
Syria is fielding a contingent of 125 people, including 105 athletes, of which more than fifty percent are women.
“In the last few years the situation has been really bad. We have had a lot of missiles and bombs land in the training areas but we have no other option. There is no safe place in the country, so as long as you want to train you need to get out of the house,” a SO Syria technical official said.
The athletes have heard of missiles landing on the tracks they train on, seen their houses getting wiped out, but they have taken everything in their stride.
What is a frightening situation for anyone can have a magnified effect on athletes with intellectual disabilities.
“Watching the missiles and bombs land in the tracks, gyms and pools has led to the deterioration of the mental abilities of many athletes. When they hear gunshots or explosions, they get frightened, some start crying others are confused,” the official added.
The officials cannot guarantee safety and many parents are reluctant to send their children for training.
Their journey to the Special Olympics is an inspirational one. The chaos back home has made even the simplest of tasks seem gruelling.
Apart from navigating the challenges of war at home, the Syrian delegation also had to deal with the uncertainty over getting visas to the United Arab Emirates till the last moment.
Even then, not everyone was lucky enough. Many coaches were denied visas leaving the delegation with a huge logistical problem.
Several athletes were displaced due to the war. They take a long time to settle in their new surroundings, they have to leave behind family, their home and most of their belongings.
Some athletes who fled Syria are participating in the event here, representing other countries.
Asked how the Syrian athletes and staff overcome all these challenges and the answer is: “We want to make Syria proud.”
PTI