Hamza Abdouh
{{short description|Palestinian swimmer|bot=PearBOT 5}}
{{Infobox swimmer|
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| nationality = {{PLE}}
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| birth_date = {{birth date and age|mf=yes|1991|1|1}}
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Hamse Ziyad Abdouh (or Hamza Abdu, {{langx|ar|حمزة عبده}}) (born January 1, 1991[http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/9/241329.shtml Biography] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20080817114745/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/9/241329.shtml |date=2008-08-17 }} on the official website of the Beijing Olympics[https://www.theglobeandmail.com/servlet/story/RTGAM.20080707.wswimmers07/BNStory/International/home?cid=al_gam_mostview "For Palestinian swimmers, it's a chance to swim"], Globe and Mail, July 7, 2008), is a Palestinian swimmer.
Career
He represented Palestine at the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing. In the lead-up to the Games, the Australian Broadcasting Corporation reported on the difficulties he faced in training for the Olympics, having only an 18-metre pool at his disposal rather than a standard Olympic-sized 50 metre pool.[http://www.abc.net.au/am/content/2008/s2268010.htm "Palestinian Olympic team face training hurdles"], Australian Broadcasting Corporation, June 7, 2008 His coach, while noting the support of the Israeli Swimming Association,[https://web.archive.org/web/20080831064944/http://uk.reuters.com/article/featuresNews/idUKL016479720080615 "Palestinians take hard route to Beijing"], Reuters, June 13, 2008 lamented the travel restrictions imposed on Palestinians citizens by the Israeli occupation and lack of Palestinian funding, which had hampered his training. The British newspaper The Guardian described him, along with Vanuatu's Elis Lapenmal, as one of the Games' "underdogs",[https://www.theguardian.com/sport/2008/jun/29/olympicgames2008.olympicgames1 "A to Z of the Olympics"], The Guardian, June 29, 2008 and as such he has also been described as a "potential successor to [Eric] Moussambani".[http://www.france24.com/en/20080706-lovable-losers-olympic-ideal-or-waste-space "Lovable losers - the Olympic ideal or waste of space"] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090116190905/http://www.france24.com/en/20080706-lovable-losers-olympic-ideal-or-waste-space |date=2009-01-16 }}, AFP, July 6, 2008
Abdouh is the Palestinian record holder for the 100-metre freestyle and 100-metre butterfly. His personal best in the 100-metre freestyle is 56 seconds. He has said that he was inspired to become an Olympic swimmer by his cousin Raed Awisat, who swam for Palestine at the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. He lives in East Jerusalem.
External links
- [https://www.usatoday.com/travel/flights/item.aspx?type=photo&photo_id=0bUU5CxbH75vR&tid=07kk9Tr98p9nq&pn=1 "Palestinian swimmer Hamza Abdu swims during a practice session in Jerusalem May 30, 2008."], Reuters image.
- [https://web.archive.org/web/20080817114745/http://results.beijing2008.cn/WRM/ENG/BIO/Athlete/9/241329.shtml Biography] on the official website of the Beijing Olympics