A few solitary whistles had already flown at the Israelis in the pool during the week of the World Swimming Championships, but when Anastasia Gorbenko, on the last day of competition, won silver in the 400 medley, a good half of the Aspire Dome in Doha shouted at her. She, coming out of the water, wrings out her hair and says to the whole audience: «Being here with my flag means a lot for my country. Getting her on the podium is the best I could do.” The declaration of intent is received as a provocation.
We are in Arabia, where the Asian Football Cup has just ended with a Qatar-Jordan final full of Palestinian flags, the Palestine national team itself reached the round of 16 with an exploit motivated by the “need to use every opportunity to represent the country” . Eliminated by the hosts, the players were applauded on the pitch by their opponents, with the entire stadium standing for them.
There were four Palestinians at the World Swimming Championships, only one lives in his homeland and trains in less than 15 metres, “in a bathtub”, as his teammates define the space. They have tattooed the flag on their shoulder or chest, like Yazan Al Bawwab who told us about his father who emigrated to Italy, about his life as a globetrotter between Genoa, Saudi Arabia, Holland and the Emirates where he swims today and about mission he feels he has: «I would like them to just ask me about the results, but I know I have to talk about a place that risks disappearing. Today there is a checkpoint in place of the house where my father was born. We live in the condition of refugees and they also ask us to stay aside and keep quiet.” It happened to him in Germany, during the World Cup, where the organizers advised him not to be noticed: “They told me not to wear the name of Palestine on my cap, in fact they advised me to hide.”
Sport does not escape the conflicts of the world, it often offers gestures and words that are impossible in other contexts, but it also amplifies everyone's requests. It happened on the podium of the 400 medley, when the electronic flag of Israel rose behind Gorbenko, other boos and people in the stands who turned their backs. The Italian Sara Franceschi, third, hugged her Israeli colleague: «It is not right that a medal chased by a life should be obscured like this. It was tough to see her suffer, I know her well, she is humble, I have never heard her say a word more, it is not right to treat her badly.” Gorbenko was prepared, born in Israel to Ukrainian parents, she trains in the USA: «I would never have missed the podium after being chased for a long time by people who behave like children». When she raised the volume of the protest, with a few shouts of support, she smiled: “I know what I'm doing here.”
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