One of the most compelling back stories of the Olympics

I am still on the mend, but am continuing to have to pace myself, so occasional disappearances need not have sinister connotations. I am currently in Beirut, in the midst of a serious quarrel between King Baldwin and his former tutor, the Archbishop of Tyre. At least this time, they are using words as weapons, so I don’t have to shed any blood.
Are many of you watching the Olympics? We always get such heartening and poignant stories about the backgrounds of the Olympic athletes, many of whom overcome great obstacles to take part. This story about a young Syrian swimmer is truly amazing. She and her sister were forced to flee Syria, as thousands and thousands of their countrymen have had to do. They managed to reach Turkey and then boarded a small boat—holding only twenty people—to try to reach one of the Greek islands. The boat’s motor soon died, leaving them at the mercy of very choppy seas. This remarkable young woman---only eighteen—and her sister got into the water and for over three hours, they pulled and pushed that boat until they eventually reached land. She was quite matter of fact about it, saying, “Well, we were the only ones who knew how to swim.” She is now taking part in the Olympics under their flag, as are seven other refugee athletes, an idea as brilliant as it is humane. She even won her heat yesterday, although she is not expected to be in contention for a medal. But just getting to Rio is a triumph of monumental proportions. http://edition.cnn.com/2016/08/06/spo...