As the Olympics draw to a close this weekend in Paris, many athletes have seized the opportunity to bring landmark medals home with them. Arenas, fields, and pools have also become the backdrop of political discourse, bringing attention to issues affecting their home countries. Take a look at the major wins by countries across the Middle East and the Arab world, and read about the intersection of politics and protests making their way into this summer’s Games.
Key Historic Wins
1) First 2024 Gold Medal Won by an Arab State
17-year-old Algerian gymnast Kaylia Nemour took home gold in the uneven bars on August 4, the Arab world’s first gold at the 2024 Paris Games and the eighth in Algeria’s Olympic history. She outperformed China’s Qiu Qiyuan—the reigning world champion—with a score of 15.600. Her win holds added significance as the first African Olympic champion in gymnastics.
Nemour, born in France, was initially medically suspended from competing for the French national team after knee surgeries three years ago. After a lengthy legal process, Algeria welcomed the player, who began representing the North African state in late 2023.
2) North Africa’s Historic Soccer Show
Both the Egyptian and Moroccan men’s national soccer teams “broke new ground” as they won their way into the semifinals for the first time in history. Egypt had never been able to get past the quarterfinals, losing four times previously, and Morocco had made it out of the group stage only once before.
The teams lost to Spain and France, respectively. Morocco and Egypt went head-to-head on August 8 to compete for the bronze medal, a match that ended in a 6-0 victory for Morocco. This is the first Olympic medal for the Moroccan men’s soccer team.
More Major Wins for Teams from MENA and the Arab World:
- July 29: Tunisia’s Fares Ferjani won the first medal for the Arab world, receiving the silver in men’s fencing.
- July 29: Egyptian fencer Mohammad Elsayed won bronze, losing to Ferjani in the semifinals.
- July 30: Longtime Olympian marksman Yusuf Dikec of Turkey won a silver medal in mixed team air pistol, going viral for his “cool, calm performance” in the process.
- August 3: Israeli Tom Reuveny won gold in the men’s iQFoil windsurfing final, and Sharon Kantor took silver in the women’s.
- August 3: Israeli gymnast Artem Dolgopyat won silver in the men’s floor exercise in artistic gymnastics, just fractions of a second from achieving the gold.
- August 7: Iranian taekwondo fighter Mobina Nematzadeh won bronze in the women’s 49kg weight class. She is the second Iranian woman in history to win an Olympic medal.
- August 8: Turkish boxer Hatice Akbas won silver in the women’s 54kg weight class.
- August 8: Jordanian taekwondo fighter Zaid Kareem won silver in the men’s 68kg weight class.
Facing Misconceptions About Gender in Women’s Boxing
Algerian fighter Imane Khelif went up against Italian Angela Carini in the women’s 66kg preliminary fights on August 1. After just 46 seconds, Carini abandoned the fight after taking a blow from Khelif that rendered her unable to continue, saying afterward that her loss was “unfair.”
What seems to have been a straightforward victory for Khelif has prompted a controversy over biological sex and transgender identity in sports. Some on social media, such as former president Donald Trump and author J.K. Rowling, have questioned her gender. While she is a cisgender woman, never having undergone a gender transition, Khelif has a disorder called Complete Androgen Insensitivity Syndrome, which means she has XY chromosomes rather than the characteristic XX pairs of a female. This does not mean she is transgender or somehow a biological male; she was born and raised a woman with female secondary characteristics.
Khelif was previously disqualified from the 2023 World Athletic Championships after failing a gender eligibility test. However, the International Olympic Committee denounced the eligibility test as “arbitrary.”
Others on social media decried the backlash the boxer has experienced. They argue that women of color are often unfairly masculinized compared to their white female peers.
On August 6, Khelif won the semifinals, moving her one fight away from taking home Algeria’s first gold medal in women’s boxing. The title fight will be held on August 9.
Palestine and Israel at the Olympics
Palestinian Waseem Abu Sal, who received a wildcard spot, was the first-ever Palestinian boxer to earn his way to the Olympics. Israel broke its own Olympic record with three medals won on a single day on August 3, bringing the total medals won by the country to a historic six.
Eight Palestinian athletes from the West Bank, Gaza, and the diaspora competed this year. At the Olympic opening ceremony, Palestinian athletes wore traditional clothing symbolic of resistance and were met by audience members unfurling Palestinian flags in support. Waseem Abu Sal, who was one of the flag bearers, donned a shirt depicting warplanes bombing children that represents the ongoing war and carnage in Gaza. Palestinian-American swimmer Valerie Tarazi has been a vocal representative; she revealed that four of her family members were killed when a church was hit by Israeli bombs.
Over 400 Palestinian senior and youth athletes, coaches, and technical staff have been killed since the start of the Gaza war, according to the Palestinian Olympic Committee and Palestine Football Association. This toll includes athletes like Nagham Abu Samra, a black belt in karate, and soccer player Ahmad Abu Al-Atta; also, Shabab Khan Yunis Football Club goalkeeper Shadi Abu Al-Araj was killed last month.
Israeli athletes have met intense scrutiny as conflict persists in Gaza. During a soccer match between Israel and Mali on July 25, protesters jeered at the team’s players. Other athletes have refused to compete against Israelis because of the war in Gaza, and three Israeli athletes received death threats over their participation. French anti-cybercrime officers concluded that Iranian hackers were responsible for the threats, publishing athletes’ personal information on fake social media accounts.
Some protesters objected to Israel’s participation in the Games. They have argued that Israel should be banned from participation like other states that have engaged in aggressive war, such as Russia following its invasion of Ukraine. The theme of protest continues to leave its mark on this year’s Games.
Further Reading