Eid Aljazairli has dreamed of becoming an Olympic swimmer in London, UK
Eid Aljazairli, 27, is a young Syrian refugee who lives at YMCA Walthamstow. He fled Damascus and came to the UK in 2016.
His dream is to become an Olympic swimmer after being inspired by watching videos on the internet of US Olympic swimmer Michael Phelps. “He was amazing, flying through the water,” says Eid.
What’s incredible is that Eid had never even been in a pool before arriving in the UK. “I couldn’t even swim more than 3 meters – but I wanted to do it.” He is determined to achieve his goal, and in just six months of swimming at the Feel Good Centre on Chingford Road has impressed many of the trainers who have watched him. “I’ve not seen that rate of progress in an adult for quite some time. I was keen to help,” says Dan Bullock, trainer for Swim for Tri at the center.
A group of Walthamstow locals met Eid through a Facebook support group of people who volunteer and fundraise in the area for refugees. Stella Creasy the local MP also took an interest in Eid’s story and has shared it with her parliamentary colleagues.
“I am passionate about numbers and I love competition. Before I had to leave Syria, I studied accounting and finance at Damascus University. Coming to the UK was a long and difficult journey. I arrived in Glasgow four-and-a-half years ago on my own, at the age of 25. The people in Scotland were very helpful, but the weather was a challenge! The Home Office soon transferred me to England, and after a year-long wait, I received my refugee status and moved to London.”
“After I began to make progress, my coach sent me to my first ever swimming meet. To my surprise, I brought home four medals and even won one of my races. The medals remind me that I can achieve my dreams: that this is just the beginning, and my aim is to go higher and higher.
Swimming has taught me to be focused and patient, and helped me to deal with the difficult situations I have found myself in. I am now hoping to compete for the Refugee Team at the 2021 Olympics in Tokyo.
When things are tough, that is the best time to try something different. I want to tell the world that we are not just a bunch of refugees. We are dreamers, hard-working individuals, human beings like everybody else. Whatever has happened in our past won’t define our future.”
Sources:
- https://youtu.be/6KmbXZgNeR0
- https://www.timeout.com/london/sport-and-fitness/meet-the-london-based-syrian-refugee-aiming-to-swim-at-the-2020-olympics
- https://ymcastpaulsgroup.org/eids-story/
- https://www.theguardian.com/world/2018/aug/23/the-syrian-refugee-aiming-to-become-an-olympic-swimmer
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