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Palestinian swimming and judo team athletes can compete with Israeli rivals at the Olympic Games

Eight athletes, six men and two women, make up the Palestinian team that will compete at the Paris Olympic Games, with three of them likely to compete against Israeli rivals in two sports, judo and swimming.

Swimmer Valerie Rose Tarazi, who was born 24 years ago in the United States and lives there, will share the 200m medley event with two Israelis, Anastasia Gorbenko and Lea Polonsky, although they do not necessarily have to compete in the same series.

Yazan Al Bawwab (24 years old), who also has Italian nationality, will swim the 100m backstroke, as will Israeli Adam Maraña. He already competed in the 100m freestyle at Tokyo 2020.

In judo, the draw on the 25th could bring a cross between the Palestinian Fares Badawi and the Israeli Sagi Muki, world champion in 2019 and bronze at Tokyo 2020 for mixed teams, in under 81 kg. He was an army sergeant.

There will be no potential conflict between the two countries in other issues.

The taekwondo boxer will be Umar Yasser Ismail (18 years), who weighs under 58kg. He secured direct qualification by winning the Asian Pre-Olympics.

Boxer Waseem Abusal (20) will compete in the under-57kg category thanks to a universality spot granted by the IOC.

Jorge Antonio Salhe is a 49-year-old Palestinian, born and resident in Chile, who will also win one of the places shooting in the skeet modality.

In the 800m, athletes Laila Almasri (25) and Mohammed Dawader (23) will also get universal quota.

Palestine has participated in the Olympic Games since 1996 and has never won a medal. The first Palestinian Olympic athlete, runner Majed Abu Maraheel (21st in the 10,000 meters), died this June after suffering kidney failure when he could not be treated or evacuated from a camp in Nuseirat in the Gaza Strip. (Efe)