CCTV News: The Hangzhou Asian Games made athletes from all over the world feel China's friendliness and enthusiasm. Syrian boxer Ahmed Guzon has been to China three times. At this Asian Games, he gained new touches and may have made an Asian Games wish.
At the opening ceremony of the Hangzhou Asian Games, Ahmed Gusson appeared as the flag bearer of the Syrian sports delegation, and he still heard the cheers that broke out from the audience. At that time, he stood in the center of the venue for a long time and refused to leave, waving the Syrian flag high to salute the audience.
Syrian athlete Ahmed Gousson: When I hear the cheers, I feel the friendliness and warmth of the Chinese people. When I got to center stage, I was really excited and very warm. The crisis in Syria has been going on for more than a decade, and the moment I wave the flag, I hope to let the world see the smiling faces of Syrians.
In the quarterfinals of the men's 71-80kg category at the Asian Games on October 1, Syrian athlete Ahmed Gousson defeated Tajikistan to advance to the semifinals.
Gusong, who aspires to medals, has six brothers in the family who are boxers, while his father serves as their coach. Due to years of war and economic blockade, poor training facilities and other problems have been faced by Syrian athletes for more than a decade. Their training gyms often have only 1 hour of electricity every 5 hours. Despite the difficult conditions, Guzon and other Syrian athletes never gave up on their dreams of competing in the Asian Games.
Umar, head of the Syrian sports delegation: Each of us wants to tell the world that we are a peace-loving people through every appearance on the international stage. Despite the suffering, we Syrians are very tenacious, and Syrians have the ability to hold on to our own dreams and to do everything we can to them.
At the 2023 Asian Games, a total of eight athletes from the Syrian delegation competed in boxing, wrestling, athletics, weightlifting and equestrian events. Gu Song, his father, and three brothers also came to Hangzhou, and this was not their first time in China. In 2010, Gusong's brother won a medal in boxing at the Guangzhou Asian Games. Since then, Gusong has also come to China twice since 2016. While realizing China's dream, Gusong is harvesting warmth.
Syrian athlete Ahmed Gousson: This is my third time competing in China. As I walk down the street, I can see a lot of people saying hello to me and welcoming you here. And once we needed help, a lot of people came to help us. Coming here is like coming home. And everywhere is so clean and beautiful, the venues are also the best venues I have ever seen, thank you China for bringing such a wonderful Asian Games to Asia.