Boxer Waseem Abu Sal to make history when he represents Palestine at Paris Olympics

Waseem Abu Sal will become the first boxer to represent Palestine at the Olympics after accepting a wildcard pick to compete at the Paris Games.

"This has been my dream since I was 10 years old," he said.

"Every day I went to sleep and woke up thinking about how I could reach the Olympics."

The 20 year old's training preparations for Paris are less than ideal, however.

Every morning he follows instructions from his Cairo-based coach Ahmad Harara, a Gazan who cannot travel to him in the occupied West Bank, sent via text message.

"I only see him when I travel" for international competitions, Waseem Abu Sal told AFP from his gym in the occupied West Bank city of Ramallah.

"He writes my training schedule every day, and I train in the morning, and again in the evening with coach Nader Jayousi."

The Palestine Olympic Committee has been represented on the International Olympic Committee since 1995 despite a lack of statehood. Only 26 athletes have represented Palestine in Olympics history.

Four Palestinians have so far been confirmed for the Games: Abu Sal will join judoka Fares Badawi, shooter Jorge Antoni Salhe and Omar Ismail in taekwondo. The athlete entries’ deadline for Paris is July 8.

Abu Sal will take on his first Olympic fight on July 28 in the men's featherweight division (57kgs) where he will link up with his mentor Harara.

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Harara has been unable to see his fighter because of "the occupation barriers between the West Bank and Gaza" as an ID holder of the latter territory.

"Since then, I have been overseeing Wassem's training remotely," Harara said.

Though Abu Sal did not make it through the Olympic qualifying rounds, he received a wildcard spot in