[Asian Games] 2 Syrian refugees make historic Asian Games debut in taekwondo
From a refugee camp in Jordan to the taekwondo mats on the Asian Games, two Syrian athletes made history this month as the first competitors to represent the Asian Refugee Team in one of Asia’s largest sporting stages. Talah Alhassan Alhinide, 18, and Mahmoud Aljasem Almohammad, 24, competed at the Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games, the first time the Olympic Council of Asia has fielded a refugee…
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Two Syrian refugees, Talah Alhassan Alhinide and Mahmoud Aljasem Almohammad, made history by debuting in the Asian Games' taekwondo competition. They were the first competitors to represent the Asian Refugee Team at one of Asia's largest sporting events. Alhinide, 18, competed in the women's under-49-kilogram sparring division, while Almohammad, 24, entered the men's under-80-kilogram category.
Both athletes were eliminated in the round of 16, but their participation carried immense significance beyond the scoreboard. Alhinide, speaking in a World Taekwondo statement, said that taekwondo had become more than just a sport for her, as it provided a glimmer of hope and allowed her to dream again, emphasizing that being a refugee does not define or limit one's future. Almohammad, too, expressed his gratitude for the opportunity that taekwondo had given him.
Written by urgent.news from The Korea Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
