'Part of my job here is to tell everyone stories': How this Palestinian athlete plans to use her voice to enact change (2024)

One of the Olympics's more lofty ambitions is for it to act as a vehicle for peace.

IOC president Thomas Bach and United Nations (UN) Secretary-General António Guterres met after the opening ceremony of the 2024 Paris Olympic Games, reiterating the importance of that fact.

"It's important to say that the first real peace initiative recorded in history was the Olympic Truce," Guterres said.

"And so, at a moment in which the Olympic Games are going to start, it's time to remind the world of the importance of the Olympic Truce and to make the world understand that we must silence the guns.

"Nothing is more contrary to conflict than the Olympic experience."

And yet, as Guterres stated, "we live in a divided world, where conflicts are proliferating in a dramatic way".

One athlete who knows that all too well is American-born swimmer Valerie Tarazi one of just eight athletes at the Games representing Palestine.

"I always wanted to represent Palestine," the 24-year-old told ABC Sport.

"My parents and I have been talking about that since I was very young.

"Yes, I'm absolutely born in the US, I love living there, but I wanted to go back and represent my roots and represent my family."

For family

Tarazi's grandfather was born in Gaza and the Tarazi family can trace their roots back to among the earliest Christian families in the region.

However, as the decades-old conflict tore through the region, Tarazi's grandfather, like so many others, was forced to leave.

It's not a unique story.

All of of Tarazi's teammates on the Palestinian team have such tales: One is a two-time refugee now in Germany, another saw their family home repossessed and turned into Tel Aviv Airport.

Even those who do live in Palestine, like Tarazi's fellow flag-bearer Wasim Abusal, cannot walk down the street safely to get to training.

The recent violence has claimed thousands of victims, including four members of Tarazi's family, who were among a large number of people sheltering inside the Church of St Porphyrius, one of the oldest in the world, when it was hit by an Israeli air strike in October last year.

"That was my family's church, and my dad was actually baptised in that church," Tarazi said.

"I got a call from actually my teammate Yasin and he said, 'Val, you know, that church that was bombed?' I said 'yes, that was my family church' and he said, 'I'm really sorry that I have to be the one to tell you this, but you had four family members in that church'.

"And it was just like that. There's no words to describe that sinking feeling.

"It's just a sad reality of the situation. It seems like every day, every week, we hear about our teammates, our family members, someone else's family members dying.

"And it's not a game. It's not a number. It's like, these are people that we know and we're related to. It's just crazy.

"Every single athlete here has a very specific story," Tarazi continued.

"Palestinians have very unique stories because they go through things that most people in the world will never even dream of.

"We have all different stories, all different situations, and part of my job here is to tell everyone stories."

A platform for peace

Tarazi is a six-time medallist at the 2023 Arab Games.

She said it was important to her to help use the platform that she had to tell those stories and ensure that the voices of those who were not at the Games were heard as well.

"We believe that sport is a basic human right," Tarazi said.

"It hurts my heart every single day to just think that we have children who can't even go outside.

"So my job is not only to compete.

"The day after you finished competing is the day that an Olympian's journey really begins, because you have a voice.

"People listen to you, for some reason.

"We get put on a pedestal just because we put in the hard work and dedication for us, so the least we can do is give back to our communities, our countries, the next generation of what's to come."

Tarazi will compete in the 200m individual medley alongside Australian Kaylee McKeown.

She admits that she is a realistic chance of earning a spot in the semifinal, but a medal, the ultimate dream, may be beyond her.

But for her, a bigger thing is just to compete in the colours of the nation she and millions of others have such love for, despite the conflict.

"I love Palestine. When I go, it truly feels like my home," she said.

"There's no feeling like walking in the streets of Ramallah. You feel the good and the bad, you feel all the people suffering, but at the same time, there is a sense of perseverance.

"These people love their heritage and no one can take that from them.

"No one can take away me being Palestinian. That's just in my DNA."

Tarazi was the flag-bearer for Palestine during the grandiose opening ceremony in the rain along the river Seine, a very visible representation of a nation that is in the spotlight for all the worst reasons far too often.

"I receive a vast majority of support," Tarazi said.

"And yes, there's going to be some negative comments out there and people have their own opinions, but I'm not representing myself.

"I'm representing the millions of Palestinians around the world, whether they live in Palestine or not.

"I'm one of the very few people, very few Palestine millions in the world right now, who have a voice that people are willing to listen to.

"So I'm going to absolutely use my voice.

"I have the opportunity to speak for them. So I'm going to use my voice when I can."