Gaza runner faces hurdles on the long road to Beijing

0 Comments | AFP, May, 2008

JERICHO, West Bank (AFP) — Every morning at dawn Nadir al-Masri runs circles around a trackless field at an empty stadium in the occupied West Bank, his coach clocking distances and timing him on a stopwatch.

The lack of a proper track is just one of many obstacles the 28-year-old long distance runner has encountered on his journey from the besieged and war-torn Gaza Strip to the Beijing Summer Olympics.

"I came to Jericho because I cannot train in Gaza with the political circumstances there. I faced huge problems in coming here," he said one morning after a long workout.

The married father of three usually lives in the town of Beit Hanun in northern Gaza, where Israel has carried out several raids and air strikes aimed at halting rocket and mortar attacks...