~***~ The Olympics 2012 ~***~

** Viva Palestine **
Olympics: Palestinian Judoka Abu Rmeileh Makes Games History
Maher Abu Rmeileh makes Palestinian sporting history at London 2012
Judo master only learnt he had become the first Palestinian to qualify for the Olympic Games on meriT. The mini-judokas abruptly cease rolling around like play-fighting puppies at the coach's command and clear the floor for the serious business. Six adult men in blue or white robes step on to the patriotically coloured judo mats. At their centre is an athlete who has just made Palestinian sporting history.
.
Maher Abu Rmeileh is the first Palestinian to qualify for the Olympic Games on merit. Under rules exempting developing nations from having to reach the qualifying standard, Palestine is sending a team of four – two swimmers and two runners – to London this summer. But the 28-year-old judoka is a late addition, having only learned of his unique achievement a few weeks ago.
https://www.google.com/search...

Palestinian Athlete: Olympics Are 'Affirmation We Exist'
July 27, 2012

The Palestinian Olympic team received a warm welcome in London when the mayor's office greeted the five athletes who made it to the 2012 Games. Abu Rmeileh, a 28-year-old Judoka, will be carrying the hope of his people and the Palestinian flag at the opening ceremony. "I am proud to fly high the Palestinian flag during the ceremony. This is an affirmation that we Palestinians exist and hope our state will be one day as other sovereign states around the world." The other four athletes will be competing by invitation from the international Olympic committee. This coincides with the Palestinian quest to obtain international recognition of Palestine as a state in the United Nations council. Mostapha Zarou Al Arabiya reports from London.
https://www.google.com/search...
.
https://www.google.com/search...

Great Britain Vs. United Arab Emirates, 2012 Olympics: Final Score 3-1 As GB Survive Scare
The United Arab Emirates gave Uruguay a scare in their opening Olympic match, and things were no different against Great Britain. The hosts began the match in complete control and went 1-0 up a quarter hour in, but ended up pegged back and facing an embarrassing draw before a pair of late goals saw them through.
http://www.sbnation.com/soccer/2012/7/29/3200...

Union of Arab National Olympic Committees
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Union_of_Arab_Na...
.

Palestinian Olympic Team Given Warm Welcome at London City Hall

The Palestinian Olympic team received a warm welcome at the city hall, the London mayor office. About 60 people greeted the five Palestinian athletes who made it to London for the 2012 Games. Only one of them reached the qualifying standards. Abu Rmeileh, a 28 years old Judoka, made history as the first ever to qualify for the world biggest sporting event. Abu Rmeileh will be carrying the hope of his people and the Palestinian flag at the opening ceremony. "I am proud to fly high the Palestinian flag during the ceremony, this is an affirmation that we Palestinians exist and hope our state will be one day as other sovereign states around the world." The other four athletes will be competing by invitation from the international Olympic committee. Baha Alfarra will be running the 400 meters; he seeks to improve his personal record by at least two seconds despite the difficulties that all athletes faced during their preparations to the London Games. Bah sees the participation of Palestine in this big event as an achievement in its self even though it has been difficult for people in Gaza and Palestine in general. Waroud Salwalha is a track athlete competing in the 800 meters; she is the first female to represent Palestine in this category wearing a headscarf in the Games. Waroud is hoping to be an example to all Muslim women that they can still practice sport wearing a hijab. In swimming Sabine Hazboune and Ahmed Gebril will represent Palestine in 50 meters freestyle.
http://www.metacafe.com/watch/yt-g-KxG60EdZ4/...
.

Pink Floyd - Song for Palestine
http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Athletes from Palestine
http://www.bbc.co.uk/sport/olympics/2012/coun...

United Arab Emirates

Best sports
Gained a gold in Athens 2004 in shooting in the men's double trap through Ahmed Al Maktoum, a member of the Dubai ruling family.
.
Star performers
Their medal hopes rest again on former Olympic champion Al Maktoum, with few others likely to fight a place on the podium. Their under 23 football team qualified for the Olympics for the first time and their coach said they would be aiming to reach the quarter finals.
Olympic medal history
National anthem
Long Live My Nation

First verse:
Live my country, the unity of our Emirates lives, You have lived for a nation, Whose religion is Islam and guide is in the Qur'an, I made you stronger in Allah's name, oh homeland, My country, My country, My country, My country.
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/olympics/cou...

Arab Spring states revel in renewed pride at Olympics
LONDON, July 30 (Reuters)- For most Olympians, the Games are a chance to show off their rare talents. For the Libyan, Egyptian and Tunisian athletes, they are a chance to show the world a new chapter in their history after the Arab Spring revolutions.

In Libya, former leader Muammar Gaddafi shunned sports figures because he feared they would draw the national spotlight away from him. For a time, soccer players could only be referred to on television by their number.

In Tunisia, the cradle of the revolutions, athletes were rarely chosen just for their sporting prowess. Their allegiance to the authorities counted too.

The Egyptians are keen to show that they too have managed to field a team despite the crises that have convulsed the world's most populous Arab state since the downfall of long-time ruler Hosni Mubarak last year.

The eight-month NATO-backed campaign to oust Gaddafi after more than 40-years of iron fisted rule saw sporting activity grind to a halt. Thousands were killed and wounded, with some athletes taking up arms against the former leader, making training and fielding an Olympic team nigh on impossible.

Only four have made it to London. But it is a start.
http://www.reuters.com/london-olympics-2012/a...

Female Saudi judoka WILL fight in a hijab... agreement reached with Olympic officials to allow her to wear headscarf in competition
Wodjan Shaherkani will compete in judo after an agreement is reached on with International Judo Federation on the kind of headscarf she can wear
The 16-year-old +78kg judoka had been told last week by the IFJ that she would not be allowed to compete in Islamic-compliant dress
.
Decision comes as debate heats up in Saudi Arabia over whether female athletes should have been included in the country's Olympic team
Shaherkani and teammate Sarah Attar - the first women to represent the kingdom at any Olympics - were included after pressure from the IOC
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-21815...

'Summer Olympics News'

London 2012 news continually updated from thousands of sources on the web.
http://www.topix.com/olympics/summer
.
https://www.google.com/search...
.
view
https://www.google.com/search...
.
Vids.
https://www.google.com/search...
.
News..
https://www.google.com/search...

Poor UK is shelling down a hoophing 1350 million pounds for Islamic terror security.No Olymbics so far has spent so much on security. Ultimately the UK people have to bear this burdon in taxes.Thank you Muslims for making the world a terrible place to live in.

Ganesh Ram wrote:

Poor UK is shelling down a hoophing 1350 million pounds for Islamic terror security.No Olymbics so far has spent so much on security. Ultimately the UK people have to bear this burdon in taxes.Thank you Muslims for making the world a terrible place to live in.

And the Muslims thank you......not.
https://www.google.com/search...
.
https://www.google.com/search... .
.
Read your own stats...
http://www.topix.com/forum/religion/islam/TO0...

Wed Aug 1, 2012
Olympics-Hijab no hurdle for Muslim sportswomen as bans eased
Aug 1 (Reuters)- Headscarf-wearing Muslim women are making strides at the Olympic Games, a year after the Iranian women's soccer team broke down in tears at having to withdraw from a qualifying match because they wore hijabs.

Worn under a fencing mask, wrapped tightly in an elasticated bun for weightlifting or styled into a cap for shooting, the controversial headgear is finally winning acceptance from sporting associations.

This week judo sports authorities and the Saudi Olympic Committee confirmed they had reached an agreement allowing a Saudi judoka to compete with her hair covered, and last month soccer's rule makers also lifted their ban on the hijab.
http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/08/01/oly...
.

Members of minority faiths in the U.S.-- Jews, Muslims, Hindus and Sikhs -- are rooting for U.S. Olympians and also saving a few extra cheers for their co-religionists, both Americans and athletes from other teams. Before they go to bed or when they wake up, they scan lists of medal winners and competition results, looking for names that might sound Jewish, Muslim, Hindu or Sikh.
Rooting for one's co-religionists also transcends national boundaries. Janaan Hashim, a Chicago lawyer who's currently visiting Muslim-majority Jordan, said people there cheered for Nur Suryani Mohammed Taibi, a Muslim shooter from Malaysia who is also eight months pregnant, as if she were a hometown hero.

"Not because she was pregnant as much as because she was Muslim and pregnant and meeting her aspirations. She sent such a great message to the world about Muslim women and our place in sports and society at large," said Hashim.

, noted that Muslim women follow Muslim female athletes because sports can be a vehicle for female empowerment.

"Muslim women -- especially those living in non-Muslim contexts -- are very much interested in female Olympians coming from their home countries as much as they are interested in those coming from other Muslim countries," said Sehlikoglu.
https://www.google.com/search...

Muslim women and the London Olympics: Series of historic firsts
https://www.google.com/search...
.
https://www.google.com/search...

Female Saudi athlete: A dream come true
http://www.youtube.com/watch...
.
It's an Olympic first as Saudi Arabia names two women to the London 2012 team
http://www.youtube.com/watch...
.
Saudi Arabia will send two female athletes to the London Olympics, ending the ultraconservative Muslim country's record of fielding only all-male teams at the games.
http://www.youtube.com/watch...

Team Palestine at the 2012 Olympic Games
IMEU, AUG 3, 2012

At the 2012 Olympic Games in London, Palestine is represented by five athletes taking part in swimming, track and field, and judo. The IMEU offers a brief description of each member of Team Palestine and the results of their competitions to date.
Maher Abu Rmeilah

Maher Abu Rmeilah made Olympic history for Palestine at the London 2012 Olympics by becoming the first Palestinian athlete to qualify for the Olympic Games on merit since Palestine began competing in the Olympics in 1996. The 28-year-old from occupied East Jerusalem earned a spot in the under-73kg category for judo based on his success at the world judo championships in Tokyo in 2010.

Abu Rmeilah learned only a few weeks before the games started that he had qualified, yet even then he diligently completed his daily shift at his father's shop in the market in the Old City of Jerusalem before training at the modest Al Quds Club, which often doubles as a wedding hall. A practitioner of judo for the past 21 years, Abu Rmeilah was introduced to the sport by his father, Shafik. He was the flag bearer for the Palestinian delegation at the opening ceremonies in London. Though defeated in the Elimination Round of 32 by Dirk van Tichelt of Belgium on July 30, Abu Rmeilah previously said, "I'm very proud to be the first Palestinian to qualify. The feeling is indescribable. It means we can send a message to the world that we are as capable as any other country...it is enough for us to be able to tell the whole world that we Palestinians exist".
.


Ahmed Gebrel

Born in Cairo, Egypt in 1991, Ahmed Gebrel competed for Palestine in the 400m Freestyle swimming event. On July 28, he placed third in his heat, and though beating his personal best by almost ten seconds, he did not qualify for the finals.

In hopes of improving his chances, Gebrel spent the past three months training at the Centre d'Alt Rendiment in Barcelona, along with fellow teammate Sabine Hazboun. In reflecting on Palestine's participation in the Olympics, Gebrel said, "We are a small number yes, but hopefully after the Olympics we will have more people involved in sports. I hope the five of us will be up to the task and represent Palestine in the best possible way. For me we are really good and we really deserve to be there and God willing we will do ok."
.

Sabine Hazboun

At age 18, Sabine Hazboun is the youngest member of the delegation from Palestine. She began swimming at the age of nine and the 2012 Olympic Games she competed in the 50m Freestyle on August 3. While beating her personal best by one second, she finished fifth in her heat and failed to advance.

Born in Bethlehem, Hazboun considers swimming to be her "identity and hobby." Prior to the games, she spent ten months training in Barcelona, and had trained twice a day upon arriving in London. Before her heat, she commented, "I trained ten months in Spain in order to take part in this competition. I will do my best in order to break my own world record on Friday. I think also that I can break the best world record in the Women's Free Style 50m, 24.10 sec, achieved by the Dutch swimmer Ronomi, but to do this I need many years of training and preparation."

Woroud Sawalha

On Wednesday, August 6, 20-year-old Woroud Sawalha will take to the track to represent Palestine in the Women's 800m event. From Asira ash-Shamaliya, near Nablus, Sawalha manages to find time to study while also traveling abroad for training in places like Egypt, Qatar and Jordan, due to the lack of adequate training facilities in Palestine. Her coach, Majed Abu Marahil noted, "It is very difficult to train in Palestine. There are no playgrounds and training facilities. The environment is not comfortable to train in, you can see soldiers everywhere and there is always violence. It is hard to feel comfortable."

Regarding the significance of competing at the world's highest level, Sawalha said, "My dream is to do something for Palestine and show the world that Palestine deserves to live and stand on the podium."
http://imeu.net/news/article0022832.shtml

South Africa's Semenya makes Olympics debut 3 years after gender firestorm
CNN)-- South African runner Caster Semenya makes her Olympic debut Wednesday, three years after a gender controversy sidelined her career and overshadowed her victory in the world championships.
She faces nemesis Pamela Jelimo, 22, who at the 2008 Games in Beijing became the first Kenyan female runner to win an Olympic gold. The two duel in the 800-meter qualifying heats.
Semenya, 21, was the subject of a gender test by the International Association of Athletics Federations following her 2009 victory in Berlin at the world championships. She has since been cleared to compete.
The controversial tests followed her explosion into the international scene when she won the world title at age 18.
But all the firestorm was in the past as Semenya -- who is coached by 2000 Sydney Olympics 800m champion Maria Mutola --carried the South African flag in the opening ceremony in London.
The powerhouse runner flashed a bright smile as she entered the grandest athletic stage of all.

http://www.cnn.com/2012/08/08/world/europe/ol...

http://www.topix.com/topstories/olympics

10 August 2012
Palestine’s Woroud Sawalha Sets a Precedent for Palestinian Women!

After painting each finger nail with a small Palestinian flag Woroud Sawalha achieved a first for her occupied country of Palestine running the 800 metres in London’s 2012 Olympics.

Finishing just 21 seconds behind the winner of her group set an example for Palestinian women that will lead many aspiring young athletes to follow in her footsteps.

The 20-year-old university student from the city of Nablus in the occupied West Bank ran in a long-sleeved blue shirt, long pants and a white hijab. She’s one of two women competing for Palestine at the Olympics, which has never sent female athletes before.

Palestine never has it easy when it comes to participating in world sporting events due to several impeding factors. An obvious issue is that Palestine is yet to be officially recognised as a state by the United Nations because of Israel’s occupation and insistence to follow dead-end negotiations that Israel itself regularly sabotages or makes impossible.

Olympics are supposedly meant for sporting cooperation and peace rather than a political agenda yet throughout the time Palestine has been permitted to take part there has been constant difficulties, pitfalls and opposition by Israel.

Thankfully the International Olympic Committee recognized the Palestinian Olympic Committee in 1993, following the Oslo accords between Palestine and Israel which gave Palestinians an identifiable albeit vague territory for the IOC to recognise in Jericho and Gaza.

A myriad of complex problems however still exist when it comes to Palestinian Olympians and every day Palestinian civilians. Inhumane travel restrictions form part of Israels occupation strategy and are perpetuated by the irrational fears some Israeli’s hold. Such ideological mindsets are unfortunately common and contribute to a society in Israel that readily justifies and accepts their countries “self-defence” justification for abusing Palestinian Human Rights.

Israeli government officials who claim such restrictions are part of a necessary “wider security apparatus” are assisted by anti-Palestinian activists that continually seek to deny Palestines right to exist.

Although Woroud Sawalha has stated she and her fellow Palestinian athletes had no trouble getting to London for the Games it could have easily been a nightmare with the present system of checkpoints and permit requirements faced by Palestinians.

Despite the Olympic committees of Palestine and Israel having met a couple of times this year to work out travel arrangements for Palestinian athletes and coaches no agreement has been reached to this date.

Training for Sawalha isn’t easy, she has previously spoken about the difficulties of finding places to work out because of travel restrictions imposed by the Israelis. It is beyond most Londoners and Olympians understanding of just how difficult some competitors have it.

Hitting the track last night Sawalha ran 2:29.16, breaking her best time of 2:40.12. Shortly after finishing she ecstatically exclaimed “My target was to make a new record for myself and for Palestine. I got it,”

This is the first time women have taken part in the Palestinian Olympic team just like several other nations such as Saudi Arabia. Speaking of how far she has come and the progress made Sawalha said “My parents called me before the race and said ‘all Palestinians are watching and hoping you get a good result’, I hope I will do well in the future. This Olympic Games is a first step for me.”

A first step that is massively significant, I look forward to seeing a Palestinian Gold medalist in the future but for Palestine Woroud Sawalha is already an Olympic Champion.
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php/opinion/2425-...