The opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics was officially launched today, Friday, in Japan, with the participation of athletes from all over the world, including Palestine, to compete in various sports, achieving one of the gold, silver, and finally bronze medals.
The Tokyo Olympics competitions were postponed for a whole year due to the Corona pandemic, which imposed strict measures that led to an exceptional event, so the start will be the end of a long and hard marathon for the Japanese organizers, apart from two weeks of competitions.
As scheduled, the opening ceremony was held without spectators due to the coronavirus pandemic, and this will be the case during the Olympic Games.
During the opening ceremony of the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, the delegation of Palestinian athletes, waving flags and the Palestinian keffiyeh, entered to participate for the seventh time in the history of Palestine.
The State of Palestine will participate in the tournament with four sports and five athletes: runner Hana Barakat, swimmer Dania Nour, swimmer Yazan Al-Bawab, judo player Wissam Abu Rumaila, and weightlifter Muhammad Hamada.
For his part, Abdel Salam Haniyeh, a member of the Supreme Council for Youth and Sports in Palestine, expressed today, Friday, his wish for success for the guerrilla mission participating in the Tokyo 2020 Olympics, which is made up of 5 athletes participating in 4 different games.
In a statement to Wasl and Kal Sawa, Haniyeh stressed that the participation of Palestinian athletes in the Olympics from the West Bank, Gaza and the diaspora is a clear evidence for the world of the unity of our land and people.
Haniyeh pointed out that raising the Palestinian flag in the largest sporting event in front of the eyes of the whole world is an important achievement for the Palestinian cause at the sporting and political levels.
It is noteworthy that the first participation of Palestine in the Olympics was in Atlanta in the United States of America in 1996, when runner Majed Abu Marahil raised the Palestinian flag at the opening ceremony, passing through the Sydney 2000 Olympics, then Athens 2004, reaching Beijing 2008, London 2012, and Rio de Janeiro 2016. .
