The 20-year-old Sawalha competed at the world indoor championships in Turkey in March -- her first experience of top-level international competition.
Posted on 06/05/2012 4:44:33 PM PDT by MinorityRepublican
(CNN) -- Woroud Sawalha knows she won't win a medal at the London Olympics. She isn't likely to get beyond the first round of the 800 meters.
But for the 20-year-old and her three teammates, just competing under the Palestinian flag is a source of pride.
The appearance itself is controversial: the U.N. does not recognize a Palestinian state but athletes have been allowed to compete under a Palestinian flag by the International Olympic Committee and soccer's ruling body FIFA since 1996 and 1998 respectively.
"It means a lot for me that I am female and representing Palestine," she told CNN's Aiming For Gold. "I will represent my hometown Asira ash-Shamaliya, Palestine and my university."
Asira ash-Shamaliya is a village of fewer than 10,000 inhabitants in the northern West Bank, where protests and tear gas form part of everyday life in a region still fighting for independence from Israel after two decades of struggle.
Sawalha, who will be immediately recognizable by her black headscarf, long-sleeved top and long trousers, knows that when she steps up to the line in London, she won't just be representing herself.
(Excerpt) Read more at edition.cnn.com ...
The 20-year-old Sawalha competed at the world indoor championships in Turkey in March -- her first experience of top-level international competition.
Burqa on the hoof.
She’ll be well positioned if blowing up school children ever becomes an Olympic event
As long as she’s not competing for the “Let’s see how many Jewish babies can we kill” medal...
She doesn’t seem to be putting forth much effort in that picture. Probably about to get lapped — in the 800m.
Look at the jerseys - "Istanbul 2012." She was probably awarded the single conveyor belt track.
I thought only countries were represented at the Olympics. “Palestine” is not a country. Also, it must be tough running a race in a burqa.
nice footnote:
See also: Eric "the Eel" Moussambani, another famously unsuccessful Olympian
I presume that photo is from ‘72.
Hope nobody shoots up her dorm or throws grenades in her chopper. Sorta.
Wow, I guess she did get lapped! Even though she ran a personal best of 2:51:87, the three qualifiers from that heat all finished under 2:02.
The bomb intended to blow up the other runners while she was on the opposite side of the track must have been a dud.
If she ran any faster she’d overheat!
“I thought only countries were represented at the Olympics. “Palestine” is not a country. Also, it must be tough running a race in a burqa.”
But they don’t let Taiwan participate.
“Asira ash-Shamaliya, Palestine “
Basically, Muslims claiming territories within Israel.
Good for the girl’s personal achievement running foot races (burqa or not). A girl running is not particularly newsworthy other than that CNN has used it to deliver us yet another propaganda piece. Fortunately, this kind of b.s. isn’t selling. (How long do you think CNN, Msnbc, New York Times, and Wash Post, etc can keep spewing this krap? Is there some secret funding propping this up, or are they just deluded, or ?? It is sure a far cry from honest, real journalism or news reporting. )
This is a political statement only. She is jogging, getting lapped by real competing athletes. This is embarrassing. It’s like when the girls from the small baptist school try to field a basketball team in skorts. Looks stupid, girls can’t play. Makes everybody in the room cringe.
Burqua is the runner’s best friend since ankle weights.
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