STORY: Taking part in Paris Olympic Games "already a win": Palestinian swimmer
SHOOTING TIME: July 18, 2024
DATELINE: July 26, 2024
LENGTH: 00:01:48
LOCATION: RAMALLAH, Palestine
CATEGORY: SPORTS

SHOTLIST: 
1. various of Paris Olympic Games venues
2. SOUNDBITE 1 (English): YAZAN AL BAWWAB, Palestinian Olympic swimmer
3. SOUNDBITE 2 (English): YAZAN AL BAWWAB, Palestinian Olympic swimmer
4. SOUNDBITE 3 (English): YAZAN AL BAWWAB, Palestinian Olympic swimmer

STORYLINE:

Palestinian Olympic swimmer Yazan Al Bawwab says to be in Paris to raise the Palestinian flag and to say the word "Palestine" is already a win.
   
The 24-year-old will compete in the Men's 100-meter backstroke in the upcoming Paris Olympic Games.

SOUNDBITE 1 (English): YAZAN AL BAWWAB, Palestinian Olympic swimmer
"To be here to raise the flag, to say the word Palestine, to show people the flag is already a win.  And (for) any Palestinian, it doesn't matter how you swim, how you do your competition, to be here, to be like every other country is the win."

Al Bawwab will be the Palestinian team's flag bearer at the opening ceremony, and this is his second Olympics after Tokyo.
   
As the conflict in Gaza has entered its tenth month, the Palestinian team has received more attention.

SOUNDBITE 2 (English): YAZAN AL BAWWAB, Palestinian Olympic swimmer
"There are more eyes on Palestine. There's more media (coverage) on Palestine. There are more people caring about Palestine. I have some athletes come up to me and ask, 'Are your family in Palestine?' I say yeah, my family is always in Palestine. They want to know, because you have media, but you also have human interactions. And it's like, I am an ambassador of the country, not formally, but it is an ambassador." 

During the past year, he was training himself for 10 hours a week.

Since he got into the Paris-based training camp, he has doubled the training duration to 20 hours a week before the Olympics. 

SOUNDBITE 3 (English): YAZAN AL BAWWAB, Palestinian Olympic swimmer
"I know a lot of athletes in Gaza, in the West Bank that really have a passion for sports. That's the great thing, it is that as Palestinians when we have a passion, we keep doing it, even if everything is closed in front, closed, but we keep doing it. Sports is amazing. It's a way to really spread joy around a lot of people. So very thankful for that."

Xinhua News Agency correspondents reporting from Ramallah, Palestine.
(XHTV)