The embroidered images on his white shirt showed warplanes dropping missiles over children playing sports.Abu Sal explained that the shirt represents the current situation in Palestine, where children are being killed and left alone without basic necessities. “This shirt represents the current picture in Palestine,” news agency AFP quoted Waseem Abu as saying.
“The children who are martyred and die under the rubble, children whose parents are martyred and are left alone without food or water.”
Abu Sal was one of two flag-bearers for the Palestinian delegation during the rain-soaked river parade along the Seine on Friday.
According to figures from the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 39,258 people, primarily women and children, have lost their lives in Gaza since the start of Israel’s military campaign, which was launched in response to an attack by Hamas militants on October 7.
The initial attack that triggered the war claimed the lives of 1,197 people, mostly civilians.
Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestine Olympic Committee, said that they had consulted with the local organizing committee of the Paris Olympics to ensure that Abu Sal’s shirt did not violate Olympic regulations. “It’s a message of peace. It’s a message to attract attention,” he said. “This is anti-war, against killing. This abides with the Olympic Charter.” “We presented it, they approved it,” he added.
The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has strict rules regarding political statements during sports events and opening and closing ceremonies. However, athletes are allowed to express themselves freely in press conferences and on social media. The Palestine Olympic Committee had previously written to the IOC requesting a ban on Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympics, which was rejected.
Rajoub called on IOC president Thomas Bach to take action and impose sanctions against those who violate the Olympic Charter. He criticized the double standard policies and argued that failing to sanction Israel is part of Europe’s legacy and their crimes, referring to the Holocaust during World War II.
Abu Sal, a 20-year-old boxer who received a wildcard for the Olympics, lives in the West Bank and faces challenges in training with his Cairo-based coach, a Gazan who is unable to travel to him due to Israeli restrictions.