The Tokyo Olympic Games have come to an end, and such a special period of the Olympic Games will surely be remembered and recalled for a long time.
The story of Syrian table tennis player Hend zaza is like this. She is only 12 years old, the youngest of the more than 11,000 Tokyo Olympic athletes and the youngest in the history of the Olympic table tennis program.
Zaza grew up and trained in the blaze of the war, and with his own efforts won the Olympic quota through the qualification tournament. Although she lost her first match and completed her Olympic journey, she has become a hero in her native Syria.
It is reported that the Chinese Olympic Committee has issued an invitation to Zaza to train in China. If all goes well, Zaza will come to China in September to receive personal guidance from Liu Guoliang, chairman of the Chinese Table Tennis Association.
Hendzaza's story has only just begun.
A few days ago, the Syrian Embassy in China said in an interview with a client reporter of Beijing Daily that Zaza is a representative of a large number of Syrian athletes who have adhered to their sports dreams in the war. Training in China at the invitation of the Chinese Olympic Committee will bring a strong impetus to the realization of Zaza's dream of a champion.
The struggle of every Syrian athlete can tell a long story
"Zaza is a little girl who strives to achieve her dream of becoming a champion in a difficult environment. She wants to win glory for her country and bring happiness and peace. The Syrian embassy said that in the past decade, the war has destroyed many stadiums and sports infrastructure in Syria, forcing many people to stay away from the sports they love. Still, there are many Syrian athletes who perform well and reach a high level of exercise, and Zaza is one of them.
In 2017, the Syrian men's football team fought all the way in the World Cup qualifiers, and finally lost to Australia in the play-offs. How did Syrian athletes survive the fighting to the field and achieve excellent results? According to the Syrian embassy, Syrian athletes, like other Syrians, have stood up from the rubble to rebuild their homes. Even in the absence of good training grounds and equipment, conditions far from being comparable to most athletes in the world, they still train and work firmly. Syria's sports sector is also working to restore sports facilities destroyed by the war.
"Every Syrian athlete can tell a long story in recent years of struggle and struggle." The Syrian embassy told the Beijing Daily client reporter.
She is a heroine who can represent Syria in the best possible way
The embassy said Zaza was young, she didn't know much about politics, and her dream of surpassing herself in the table tennis arena was also the dream of all Syrian children, very similar to the dreams of other children in the world.
At the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta, Syrian female athlete Garda Shuya won the championship in the athletics heptathlon, winning Syria's only Olympic gold medal to date. The Syrian Embassy stressed that Syrian women enjoy full equal rights with men in the field of sport, as in all spheres of social life. "In Syria, women enjoy a high degree of social freedom, and Syria always expects women to play an important role in nation-building and social construction. This is one of the reasons why Syria has been able to produce outstanding female athletes like Gada Shuya and Zaza. ”
After completing his amazing trip to the Tokyo Olympics, Zaza has returned to Syria to return to intense training in preparation for the upcoming Arab Table Tennis Championships. The Syrian embassy said Zaza had won a lot of media attention and widespread sympathy from the public, and Syrians believed that although Zaza was still a child, she was already a heroine who could best represent Syria. Syrians are eager to see Zaza win the Olympics or World Series for Syria.
"Exchanges between different countries are one of the noblest goals of sporting events." The Syrian Embassy said that the relations between Syria and China have a long history and have long been committed to cooperation in various fields. The invitation of the Chinese Olympic Committee to Zaza is one of the models of multi-faceted friendly cooperation between the two peoples, and will bring strong impetus to Zaza's sports career and the realization of his dream of a champion.