Syrian refugee who lost his leg in the war to carry the Olympic flame

2024-06-01 16:43:51      点击：654

Before the civil war, Ibrahim al-Hussein used to train as a professional swimmer. The Euphrates River was his pool, Deir Ezzor's renowned suspension bridge his driving board. 

"I used to climb to the top, dive into the water and swim in the river," he said. 

Then, the war began: fighters destroyed his bridge; Ibrahim lost his leg as he rushed outside to help a friend who was severely injured. A bomb hit him and his right leg was amputated from the mid-calf down, the UN High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR) told Mashable.

Ibrahim al-HusseinCredit: © UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis

In 2014, the 27-year-old athlete, who fled Syria for Turkey, arrived in the Greek island of Samos after crossing the Aegean Sea in a rubber dinghy.

On Friday it was announced that Ibrahim will carry the Olympic flame in Athens as part of the torch relay for the 2016 games in Rio de Janeiro.

Ibrahim al-Hussein, a 27 year old refugee from Syria, poses for portrait outside the Athens Olympic Stadium. ; Ibrahim al-Hussein will carry the Olympic Flame in Athens as part of the torch relay for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. The symbolic gesture is meant to show solidarity with the world’s refugees at a time when millions are fleeing war and persecution worldwide and an it’s an immense privilege for the a 27 year old refugee from Syria who once dreamed of competing in the Olympics and whose athletic career was interrupted by the war and an injury that cost him part of his right leg after a bombing in his home town of Deir ez-Zor. "It is an honor," Ibrahim says of bearing the Olympic flame. "Imagine achieving one of your biggest dreams. Imagine that your dream of more than 20 years is becoming a reality." Ibrahim commits himself to a rigorous training schedule. Three days per week, He swims with ALMA, a Greek nonprofit organization for athletes with disabilities. His training is held in the former 2004 Olympic sport complex in Athens. He is also part of a wheelchair basketball league that meets five times per week and travels throughout the country for games. Ibrahim does all this despite working a 10-hour overnight shift at a cafe in Anthoupoli, an Athens suburb 30 minutes by train from his home. "It's not just a game for me," Ibrahim says of his commitment to athletics. "It's my life."Credit: © UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis

Ibrahim, who uses a prosthetic leg, now lives in Athens and follows a strict sports training schedule that includes swimming three times a week with ALMA, a Greek NGO for athletes with disabilities, and wheelchair basketball with his team in Maroussi, an Athens suburb. 

"It's not just a game for me," Ibrahim, who works a 10-hour overnight shift at a cafe, says of his training schedule. "It's my life."

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In order to get into the pool, Ibrahim has to remove the prosthetic leg and hop to the starting block on his other foot. At the beginning, his flutter-kick was not as strong as before, but after a few sessions Ibrahim recovered confidence in the water. 

"I saw a strong athlete, nothing more,"his coach, Eleni Kokkinou, told UNHCR. "All that's on his mind is, 'training, training, training.' His target was to catch up to his personal best time in the 50-meter freestyle."

Ibrahim al-Hussein, a 27 year old refugee from Syria, talks with his trainer during a break of his training session in the former 2004 Olympic sport complex in Athens. ; Ibrahim al-Hussein will carry the Olympic Flame in Athens as part of the torch relay for the 2016 Games in Rio de Janeiro. The symbolic gesture is meant to show solidarity with the world’s refugees at a time when millions are fleeing war and persecution worldwide and an it’s an immense privilege for the a 27 year old refugee from Syria who once dreamed of competing in the Olympics and whose athletic career was interrupted by the war and an injury that cost him part of his right leg after a bombing in his home town of Deir ez-Zor. "It is an honor," Ibrahim says of bearing the Olympic flame. "Imagine achieving one of your biggest dreams. Imagine that your dream of more than 20 years is becoming a reality." Ibrahim commits himself to a rigorous training schedule. Three days per week, He swims with ALMA, a Greek nonprofit organization for athletes with disabilities. His training is held in the former 2004 Olympic sport complex in Athens. He is also part of a wheelchair basketball league that meets five times per week and travels throughout the country for games. Ibrahim does all this despite working a 10-hour overnight shift at a cafe in Anthoupoli, an Athens suburb 30 minutes by train from his home. "It's not just a game for me," Ibrahim says of his commitment to athletics. "It's my life."Credit: © UNHCR/Achilleas Zavallis

The Syrian now swims the 50-meter freestyle in about 28 seconds, less than three seconds short of his timing before he lost part of his leg. 

Ibrahim will run the flame, which was lit April 21 in a ceremony at Olympia, Greece, through Eleonas, a temporary camp site in Athens that hosts 1500 refugees. 

"I am carrying the flame for myself, but also for Syrians, for refugees everywhere, for Greece, for sports, for my swimming and basketball teams," Ibrahim says. "My goal is to never give up. But to go on, to always go forward. And that I can achieve through sports.”

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