From Alepo to Rio
Anis journey from bloodshed in Alepo was tough and edgy.
To leave Syria, his parents decided to flee to Turkey. In 2015, Anis with his brother decided to cross Mediterranean 'sea of death' (what have become a nick name of once beautiful Sea) and to come to Europe.
Landed safely in Greece, then via Western Balkan Route (Macedonia, Serbia, Croatia, Hungary, Austria, Germany came to a final destination's country: Belgium.
“I had to leave Turkey because I was being given a chance to compete on international events at the club I was training at,” Anis told Al Arabiya English by phone from Rio.
Before the Syrian war, he was considered a specialist in the 100-meter butterfly, and began competitive training at age 14.
As part of Syria’s national team, he traveled to compete in the Gulf, China and Europe. He was considered a prospect to represent Syria during the London 2012 games.
For four years, Anis trained while taking refuge in Turkey. He was not allowed to compete formally alongside his club’s teammates in Turkey, who flew to other countries for swimming meets while he was forced to stay behind in Istanbul.
No comments:
Post a Comment