When he lost his lower leg in a 2012 bomb explosion in Syria, Ibrahim al-Hussein never imagined that he would one day swim in the pool where his Olympic idols broke records.
Just four years later, he was the flag bearer of a token refugee team debuting at the 2016 Rio Paralympics, and is now eyeing a return to competition at the Tokyo Games.
“Nothing is impossible,” said the 32-year-old as he arrived to begin a day of training at the Olympic Aquatic Center in Athens, adding that he hopes to inspire fellow refugees.
Photo: AFP
“You have to fight, with your body, with your heart... You can do anything you want in your life,” al-Hussein said.
When he was still 15, al-Hussein would follow the exploits of Ian Thorpe and Michael Phelps in the 2004 Athens Games from his home in the Syrian city of Deir ez-Zor.
The pool in Athens “is where my story began,” he said, smiling.
As a child, al-Hussein would swim along the banks of the Euphrates River with his father, already harboring Olympic dreams.
His hopes came crashing down when Syria was engulfed in civil war in 2011 and his family was forced to flee.
Al-Hussein stayed behind at first, but after his right leg was injured in the bomb blast and it had to be amputated, he had to leave, too, reaching Greece via Turkey in February 2014.
Like tens of thousands of other refugees, he made the risky Aegean Sea crossing and landed at the Greek island of Samos.
“Life in Syria was exceptionally difficult. There was nothing to eat, no electricity, no medicine,” he said. “Had I stayed there, I’d be dead.”
After living on the streets of Athens for two weeks, al-Hussein was directed by a fellow Syrian to Angelos Chronopoulos, a Greek doctor who gave him a prosthetic limb.
Acquiring refugee status in 2015, he found work and began to pick up the pieces.
“I was looking for a new homeland, somewhere to resume my life and sport. Greece became my homeland,” he said.
After notching victories in Greece disabled competitions, he caught the attention of the Hellenic Olympic Committee, which picked him to carry the torch of the 2016 Rio Games flame relay in the Athens refugee camp of Eleonas.
After that, the International Paralympic Committee offered him the opportunity to join the first-ever refugee team for the Rio Games, and to carry its flag into the historic Estadio do Maracana.
He has since participated in European and global disabled swimming championships.
The irony is not lost on al-Hussein that he only fulfilled his dream of competing in the Olympics after he lost a leg.
“When I had both legs, it was my dream to compete in the Olympics, but I did not make it. I got here [with one leg instead],” he said, laughing. “I wouldn’t stop even if I lost my other leg, or an arm. I want to go to Tokyo and I’m going to get there.”
The New Taipei Kings claimed the inaugural Taiwan Professional Basketball League (TPBL) championship on Sunday, defeating the Kaohsiung FamilyMart Aquas 108-89 in the final. Playing at home, the Kings pulled ahead with Jeremy Lin’s (林書豪) clutch three-pointers, securing their victory over the Aquas in the TPBL final. The Kings came out strong in the first quarter, dominating to build a 35-18 lead. By halftime, they had stretched their advantage to 61-38. In the third quarter, the Aquas narrowed the deficit to 12 points, but Lin stepped up, sinking several tough three- pointers to extend the lead. In the final quarter, the Kings pushed the
In an unlikely Ethiopian outpost of one the most French of pastimes, four men are leaning over their petanque balls, arguing over who is winning. Petanque, the bowling game also known as boules, is more readily associated with French village squares where locals launch metal balls at a jack while enjoying an afternoon drink, but for decades, it has also been a beloved pastime for members of a club near the iconic Meskel Square in the Ethiopian capital, Addis Ababa. It was founded in the early 20th century to cater to French railway workers, who built a line connecting Addis Ababa
SEMI-FINAL SWEEP: Taiwanese are to take up all four berths in the men’s doubles semi-finals, while three Taiwanese women’s doubles pairings secured spots Taiwan’s badminton ace Chou Tien-chen stayed hot as he secured a semi-final berth in the men’s singles at the US Open at Council Bluffs, Iowa, on Friday. Chou entered the Super 300 tournament as the top seed and breezed past Victor Lai of Canada 21-19, 21-8 in 37 minutes, advancing to the semi-finals for the second straight tournament. Earlier this month, the 35-year-old veteran finished runner-up at the Indonesia Open, becoming the oldest male shuttler to reach a Super 1000-level final. He was set to face Ayush Shetty of India last night after press time for a spot in the final. Meanwhile, 22-year-old Taiwanese
Spain are the favorites to win the UEFA Women’s Euro 2025, but star player Aitana Bonmati’s illness ahead of the tournament raises another question mark around a side which, despite their obvious quality, are not unstoppable. Having claimed the last two Ballon d’Or awards, Barcelona midfielder Bonmati is the game’s biggest star at present, so her absence in the final days before the start of Euro 2025 is a major setback. The 27-year-old came down with a fever in training last week, and was subsequently hospitalized and diagnosed with viral meningitis. Bonmati was discharged on Sunday and joined up with