Olympics 2012: For Syrians, Games are a welcome ‘distraction’

Sport has often acted as a catalyst for peace in tough times. Think of the two Koreas marching under the same flag at the Sydney Olympics in 2000 or, for that matter, Russian and Georgian athletes embracing each other on the podium at a time when their countries were at war during the Beijing Olympics in 2008.

At London 2012, it’s the Syrian athletes who’ve captured the imagination. At a time when their country is bathing in blood, the 10-member contingent is on a mission to bring some joy to the troubled nation.

It’s not easy for them to focus. And they aren’t pretending either.

Last Saturday, when Wessam Slamana was in the middle of his bantamweight bout against Kazakhstan’s Kanat Abutalipov, about two lakh people were fleeing his country. Slamana may have lost the bout but he won hearts. He received a standing ovation from the crowd at the boxing arena, a gesture generally reserved for the British athletes. He was overwhelmed and felt like a winner. “It was more than a bout for me. I couldn’t win but I am here representing my country which makes me a proud man. I wish I could win but I am touched by the gesture everyone has shown here,” Slamana told DNA.

To maintain focus becomes difficult in times like these. Slamana hasn’t trained in Damascus, his hometown, for more than a year. He was been away from family, training abroad at centres with better facilities, living like a nomad. He visits his family every six months for 10 days.

“He trains in Mongolia and Kazakhstan. That’s how it has been for around two years now. But we are here for the sport. That’s our focus, not what’s happening in our country,” Slamana’s coach Mohamed Kamel Shbib said. There is a proper boxing club in Damascus, Shbib informed. “But it is better if he trains outside the country. It will keep him focussed,” he said.

Boxing is the best ‘distraction’ for the Asian Games bronze medallist. It keeps him occupied. “If I win an Olympic medal some day, it will bring a lot of joy for my countrymen. I know how it was when I won the medal at the Asian Games two years ago (Guangzhou). But the Olympics is very tough and it showed on Saturday,” Slamana said. “I am a boxer, I have to fight problems.”

The Syrian contingent — six men and four women — will compete in seven sports including boxing, high jump, hurdles, swimming, and shooting. It’s their biggest contingent since the 1980 Moscow Games.

Life inside the Games Village provides them with mental relief. Wherever they go, they are hounded by journalists and a few curious souls. “People are always curious. But it’s a good time for us. It’s natural to be worried about what’s happening back home. I was the flag-bearer. Now it’s my turn to make the people happy,” high jumper Majed Aldin Ghazal said.