Syria Plans To Send Athletes To Winter Olympics For 1st Time Ever - Olympic Committee

Syria intends to participate in Winter Olympic Games for the first time in its history and is currently looking for Syrian athletes living abroad who could represent the country at the competition, President of the Syrian Olympic Committee Mowaffak Joumaa said

DAMASCUS (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 13th December, 2018) Syria intends to participate in Winter Olympic Games for the first time in its history and is currently looking for Syrian athletes living abroad who could represent the country at the competition, President of the Syrian Olympic Committee Mowaffak Joumaa said.

"We are planing to encourage Syrians living abroad, particularly in Europe, to participate in the Winter Olympics under the Syrian flag. So far, we have not succeeded in our searches, but we continue to work to that end," Joumaa said.

The president of the committee noted that Syria also intended to raise the popularity of winter sports in the country despite its warm climate.

"We do not have a cold enough climate to develop these sports, but the Syrian Olympic Committee still plans to expand its work aimed at promoting winter sports [in Syria]," Joumaa added.

Joumaa also said that local authorities were planning to complete the postwar rebuilding of major sports complexes in the western provinces of Latakia and Aleppo next year.

"After the government forces liberated the provinces [of Latakia and Aleppo] from militants, we started rebuilding sports infrastructure there.

We understand that the most important thing now is to rebuild schools and hospitals; however, restoring the largest sports facilities in the country � in Latakia and Aleppo � is among our goals for 2019," the president of the committee said.

According to Joumaa, Damascus has already allocated funds to complete the reconstruction work, and the sum is several times larger compared to last year.

As of now, Syrian athletes have won three medals, including a gold one, since their debut at the competition in 1948, with the latest of medals dating back to the 2004 Summer Olympics in Athens. Syria has participated in a total of 13 Summer Olympic Games.

Syrian authorities are currently engaged in the reconstruction process and the repatriation of refugees as Damascus has already won back vast territories that had fallen into the hands terrorists and rebels during the war, and the armed conflict itself seems to be nearing its end.