sound dair alzour | Source: Middle East Monitor | And :proiqra
With one foot, a Syrian youth trains orphans in “Kung Fu”

The Syrian youth, Fadel Othman, 24, has been practicing the “kung fu” sport since he was 12 years old, as he rose through its ranks until he became a coach.
In 2015, Othman lost one of his legs in a regime bombardment on the western countryside of Aleppo, after which he was transferred to Turkey and underwent treatment in its hospitals for 3 years.
During his stay in Turkey, Osman participated in several tournaments for people with special needs, after which he returned to his hometown and trained orphaned children in the sport of kung fu.
The kids gather in the gym every day, jogging around their coach, and then lining up for lessons in the sport’s moves.
Despite losing one of his legs, Othman gives the children the necessary exercises and does not feel tired, as he loves this sport and considers teaching it to others a pleasure that is no more than fun.
Othman says that the disability caused by the bombing did not hinder his dreams in the field of training, and that he was able, with his own capabilities, to open a training center for 100 children between the ages of 8 and 15 years.
He explains that training in this type of sports is very important for the child in terms of being able to protect himself, noting that his goal is to raise healthy and intelligent people.
Othman adds: “My only dream is to enlarge this project to accommodate the largest number of children.”
The child Ahmed Kanawati (12 years), one of the trainees, considered that the center is an outlet for him to get him out of the state of war surrounding him, especially since his house is close to the front lines between the regime and the opposition and is constantly exposed to shelling by the regime forces.
Omar Raslan, 13, another child in the center, said that by practicing kung fu, he aspires to become a strong, patient and moral person.
Raslan pointed out that he loves his coach and his companions at the center, and dreams of representing the children of Syria in international competitions.
As for the trainee, Muhammad Thaer, who lost his father in the bombing of the regime, he confirmed that kung fu gave him self-confidence and taught him humility, indicating that he, like the rest of his comrades, wanted to represent his country in international competitions.

Idlib: The Syrian regime’s shells deprived him of practicing the “kung fu” sport that he mastered and became a master in, so he began to compensate for this deprivation by training orphans in it, until he became a source of inspiration for them.
The Syrian youth, Fadel Othman, 24, has been practicing the “kung fu” sport since he was 12 years old, as he rose through its ranks until he became a coach.
In 2015, Othman lost one of his legs in a regime bombardment on the western countryside of Aleppo, after which he was transferred to Turkey and underwent treatment in its hospitals for 3 years.
During his stay in Turkey, Osman participated in several tournaments for people with special needs, after which he returned to his hometown and trained orphaned children in the sport of kung fu.
The kids gather in the gym every day, jogging around their coach, and then lining up for lessons in the sport’s moves.
Despite losing one of his legs, Othman gives the children the necessary exercises and does not feel tired, as he loves this sport and considers teaching it to others a pleasure that is no more than fun.
Othman says that the disability caused by the bombing did not hinder his dreams in the field of training, and that he was able, with his own capabilities, to open a training center for 100 children between the ages of 8 and 15 years.
He explains that training in this type of sports is very important for the child in terms of being able to protect himself, noting that his goal is to raise healthy and intelligent people.
Othman adds: “My only dream is to enlarge this project to accommodate the largest number of children.”
The child Ahmed Kanawati (12 years), one of the trainees, considered that the center is an outlet for him to get him out of the state of war surrounding him, especially since his house is close to the front lines between the regime and the opposition and is constantly exposed to shelling by the regime forces.
Omar Raslan, 13, another child in the center, said that by practicing kung fu, he aspires to become a strong, patient and moral person.
Raslan pointed out that he loves his coach and his companions at the center, and dreams of representing the children of Syria in international competitions.
As for the trainee, Muhammad Thaer, who lost his father in the bombing of the regime, he confirmed that kung fu gave him self-confidence and taught him humility, indicating that he, like the rest of his comrades, wanted to represent his country in international competitions.