Palestinian boxer Waseem Abu Sal, who sported a shirt featuring images of children under bombardment during the Paris Olympics opening ceremony, pledged to recover from his unanimous points loss on Sunday. Swedish competitor Nebil Ibrahim ousted Abu Sal in the 57-kg preliminary round, yet the Palestinian contender expressed his focus on the 2028 Olympics. At 20, he is the first Palestinian to compete in the Olympics.
"I regret I won't be able to hoist the flag for Palestine on the podium. I aspired to win a medal, but with God's will, this is not the end. The journey will persist for another four years," he conveyed to the press.
"The mere participation in the Olympic Games is a triumph for Palestine," he further stated. Abu Sal was met with an enthusiastic response from the audience at the North Paris Arena, who chanted his name throughout the match. Despite this, the judges awarded the first round to Ibrahim, who executed multiple left jabs and hooks, along with a right uppercut that unsettled Abu Sal.
Abu Sal was subsequently struck by two forceful left hooks from the Swede, who was unanimously declared the winner of the second round. In the third round, the Palestinian boxer fell to the floor after attempting a wild hook and found it challenging to land effective punches. He lost a point for grappling his opponent to the ground.
He knelt in apparent prayer at the conclusion of the match, which was unanimously ruled in favor of Ibrahim. The two fighters embraced as the crowd applauded Abu Sal's exit from the stadium. Abu Sal was one of two flag-bearers for the Palestinian team during the rain-drenched river parade along the Seine on Friday. His white shirt bore embroidered depictions of warplanes dropping missiles over children engaged in sports.
"This shirt symbolizes the current situation in Palestine," Abu Sal explained to AFP. "It represents the children who are killed and buried under the debris, children who lose their parents and are left without sustenance or water."
According to the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 39,324 individuals, predominantly women and children, have perished in Gaza since Israel initiated a military operation in response to a Hamas attack on October 7. That initial assault led to the deaths of 1,197 people, mostly civilians, based on official Israeli figures compiled by AFP. Abu Sal resides in the West Bank and is unable to train with his coach from Cairo, a Gazan restricted by Israeli travel constraints.
