How one Palestinian is racing to get to the Olympics
Palestinian fitness instructor hopes to make it to the 2016 Summer Olympic Games, despite discouragement from the Palestinian Olympic Committee.
RAMALLAH, West Bank — Munching on dates for energy, 25-year-old Mohamed al-Khatib starts his morning at sunrise, hoping for an opportunity to use a track field at a local high school in Ramallah.
Khatib is a yoga and fitness instructor who is training for a chance to attend the 2016 Olympic Games in Brazil and race in the 100-meter and 200-meter track and field events.
In order to get access to the track, Khatib must ask the school’s security guard for the keys. But the guard doesn’t always permit him to use the track, particularly on school days.
With the games just nine months away, running Aug. 5-21, 2016, and no access to proper Olympic training or official qualifying races in Palestine, Khatib told Al-Monitor he plans to train in the United States.
