Palestinian boxer Waseem Abu Sal donned a shirt featuring images of children under aerial bombardment during the opening ceremony of the Paris Olympics, challenging the event's strict policy on political statements. Abu Sal, serving as one of the Palestinian delegation's flag-bearers, marched in the rain-drenched parade along the Seine on Friday. His white shirt bore embroidered scenes of warplanes releasing missiles over children engaged in sports activities.
"This shirt symbolizes the current situation in Palestine," Abu Sal explained to AFP on Saturday. "It depicts the children who are killed and buried under debris, those whose parents are killed, leaving them destitute without food or water." According to data from the Hamas-run health ministry, at least 39,258 individuals have perished in Gaza since Israel initiated a military operation in response to the October 7 attacks by Hamas militants. The October conflict, which marked the beginning of the war, claimed the lives of 1,197 people, predominantly civilians, as per an AFP count based on Israeli official figures.
Jibril Rajoub, the president of the Palestine Olympic Committee, informed AFP that they had consulted with the local Paris Olympics organizing committee regarding the compliance of Abu Sal's shirt with Olympic rules. "It conveys a message of peace. It aims to draw attention," Rajoub stated. "This is a stance against war and killing, in line with the Olympic Charter." He further added, "We submitted it, and they approved it."
The International Olympic Committee prohibits political statements on the playing field during sports events and at the opening and closing ceremonies, although athletes are permitted to express themselves in press conferences and on social media. Last week, the Palestine Olympic Committee sent a letter to the IOC requesting a ban on Israeli athletes at the Paris Olympics, a request that was denied. Rajoub noted that the Palestinian team planned to utilize the Paris Olympics to highlight the plight of civilians in Gaza. Abu Sal, 20, secured a wildcard entry for the Olympic boxing event. He resides in the West Bank and is unable to train with his coach from Cairo, a Gazan who is restricted by Israeli regulations from traveling to him.
