Syrian taekwondo athlete from Azraq refugee camp ready for Paris Olympics

Yahya Al Ghotany, 20, a Syrian athlete based in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, poses at the Humanitarian Sports Center of the camp, May 1, during the third edition of the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

AZRAQ, Jordan — Yahya Al Ghotany, 20, was 7 years old when the civil war broke out in his homeland of Syria.

Along with some 40,000 Syrians, he and his family have been sheltering in the Azraq refugee camp, a 14.7-square-kilometer community established and managed by the Jordanian government and the U.N. High Commissioner for Refugees, 90 kilometers from the Syrian border in northeastern Jordan.

It was there where he, the first in a family of seven children, discovered taekwondo “by chance.” His friend at the camp told him about the taekwondo course offered by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation (THF) in 2016. That is how he got into the sport, without knowing it would completely change his life.

“When Yahya started taekwondo in 2016, he was a young boy, 12 years old. He came to me and said, ‘I want taekwondo,’” coach Asif Sabah, who trains young Syrian taekwondo athletes in the Azraq taekwondo academy and leads the sports grassroots movement there, told The Korea Times.

“In the first lessons, he was trying to do his best to prove his abilities, so I said that if he continued, he would reach his goal.”

It didn't take long before Al Ghotany showed a natural ability for the sport and began aspiring for the highest levels as an athlete. He reached the black belt second-dan level after only five years of practicing the sport under challenging and limited circumstances inside the camp. He participated in several international tournaments outside the country with the support of World Taekwondo (WT) as well.

Finally on May 2, the second day of the three-day Hope and Dreams Sports Festival, an annual joint sports humanitarian initiative organized by WT and THF, Al Ghotany’s dream came true. He was officially named as one of the 36 athletes from 11 countries competing in 12 sports for the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024.

Yahya Al Ghotany, 20, a Syrian athlete based in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, poses at the Olympic Preparation Center in central Amman, May 2, a few hours before being announced as a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

Representing the world’s displaced population of over 100 million people, it is the largest Olympic refugee team to date. There were 10 refugee athletes in Team Rio 2016 and 29 in Team Tokyo 2020.

In less than two months, he will compete against the world’s best players to vie for medals at the 2024 Paris Summer Olympics under the IOC Refugee Olympic Team’s own emblem, featuring a heart at its center.

“Besides all the performance, it’s the emotional value, sending this symbol of hope to the more than 100 million people who, unfortunately, had to migrate,” IOC President Thomas Bach said during a live-streamed ceremony from Olympic House in Lausanne, Switzerland, adding he hopes their participation in the Games will make the world more aware of the magnitude of this crisis.

Al Ghotany is now training with the Jordanian national taekwondo team at the Olympic Preparation Center in central Amman under the guidance of Faris Al Assaf. Al Assaf is the legendary coach who taught Ahmad Abughaush, Jordan’s first Olympic medalist who won gold during the Rio 2016 Summer Games.

Yahya Al Ghotany, right, trains with coach Asif Sabah, center, and the Jordanian national team at the Olympic Preparation Center in central Amman, May 2, a few hours before being announced as a member of the IOC Refugee Olympic Team Paris 2024. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

“Yahya is the first refugee athlete to go to the Olympics from Jordan. This may be good for the new generation (of athletes) to see how one refugee player trains in Jordan and goes to the Olympics,” Al Assaf said, pointing out that Al Ghotany boasts exceptional focus and mind control abilities as a taekwondo athlete despite hard circumstances.

“Before Paris is very intense, including physical and skill training in the morning and evening, and participation in local tournaments and, if possible, outside Jordan. The psychological state must also be taken care of so that it is wonderful and active,” Sabah said.

Despite now being an Olympian, Al Ghotany remains faithful to his role as a senior trainee back on his home ground. He is a role model who realized the earnest dreams of his friends at the camp, who unanimously and enthusiastically named their life goals to become international taekwondo athletes, coaches or referees and finally make it to the Olympics.

Yahya Al Ghotany, a Syrian athlete based in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan, wipes the floor at the Humanitarian Sports Center of the camp, May 1, during the third edition of the Hope and Dreams Sports Festival for younger athletes. Korea Times photo by Choi Won-suk

“He gives the new students energy, raises their morale and tells them that nothing is impossible,” Sabah said. Al Ghotany showed full commitment to the three-day festival as a player while also guiding and coaching younger athletes.

Having achieved his goal of making it to the Olympic Games, Al Ghotany said, “My next goal is to win a gold medal at the Olympics.”