Palestinian Athlete: Olympics Are 'Affirmation We Exist'

July 27, 2012 from Al Arabiya

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.

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Palestine Olympic Committee

The Palestine Olympic Committee is the National Olympic Committee of Palestine. Palestine has been recognized as a member of the Olympic Council of Asia since 1986, and the International Olympic Committee since 1995. According to the London 2012 website[1], Israel is in Europe... Explore this topic

2012 London Olympics

The 2012 Summer Olympics, officially the Games of the XXX Olympiad and commonly known as London 2012, was a major international multi-sport event celebrated in the tradition of the Olympic Games, as governed by the International Olympic Committee. It took place in London, Unit... Explore this topic

Palestine at the Olympics

The partially recognised State of Palestine is represented on the International Olympic Committee by the Palestine Olympic Committee, which has sent teams to compete at each Summer Olympics since 1996 under the IOC country code PLE. Palestine has been recognized as a member of... Explore this topic

Palestine

Palestine (Arabic: فلسطين‎ Filasṭīn, Falasṭīn, Filisṭīn; Greek: Παλαιστίνη, Palaistinē; Latin: Palaestina; Hebrew: פלשתינה Palestina) is a conventional name, among others, used to describe the geographic region between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River, and various ad... Explore this topic

International recognition of the State of Palestine

The State of Palestine was proclaimed on 15 November 1988 in Algiers at an extraordinary session in exile of the Palestine National Council. Legal justification for this act was based on United Nations General Assembly Resolution 181 (II) of 29 November 1947, which provided fo... Explore this topic

Palestinian flag

The Palestinian flag is based on the Flag of the Arab Revolt, and is used to represent the Palestinian people, and the Palestinian Authority. Explore this topic

Palestinians

The Culture of Palestine is closely related to those of the nearby Levantine countries such as Lebanon, Syria, and Jordan, and the Arab World. Cultural contributions to the fields of art, literature, music, costume and cuisine express the Palestinian experience despite the geo... Explore this topic

London

London is the capital city of England and the United Kingdom, and the largest city, urban zone and metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history g... Explore this topic

Olympic Games

The modern Olympic Games is the leading international sporting event featuring summer and winter sports competitions in which thousands of athletes participate in a variety of competitions. The Olympic Games are considered to be the world's foremost sports competition with mor... Explore this topic

United Nations

The United Nations is the world's largest, foremost, and most prominent international organization. The stated aims of the United Nations include promoting and facilitating cooperation in international law, international security, economic development, social progress, human r... Explore this topic

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Palestine Olympic Committee

2012 London Olympics

Palestine at the Olympics

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