Mohamad Maso ( ar, محمد ماسو; born 23 July 1993) is a

Syrian Syrians ( ar, سُورِيُّون, ''Sūriyyīn'') are an Eastern Mediterranean ethnic group indigenous to the Levant. They share common Levantine Semitic roots. The cultural and linguistic heritage of the Syrian people is a blend of both indi ...

triathlete. He competed in the men's event at the

2020 Summer Olympics The , officially the and also known as , was an international multi-sport event held from 23 July to 8 August 2021 in Tokyo, Japan, with some preliminary events that began on 21 July. Tokyo was selected as the host city during the ...

. During the

opening ceremony An opening ceremony, grand opening, or ribbon-cutting ceremony marks the official opening of a newly-constructed location or the start of an event.

, he was reunited with his brother, Alaa, who represented the IOC Refugee Olympic Team. Having fled their native country in 2015 during the war in Syria, both brothers finally settled in Germany.

Life and career

Due to the war in Syria, Mohamad and his younger brother Alaa, a competition swimmer, were forced to leave their home town of

Aleppo )), is an adjective which means "white-colored mixed with black". , motto = , image_map = , mapsize = , map_caption = , image_map1 = ...

in northern Syria in 2015. After having crossed through Turkey, Greece and the Netherlands, they finally arrived in Germany. Soon after his arrival, Maso started training again. Among other international sports competitions, he participated in the

Asian Games in Indonesia Asian may refer to: * Items from or related to the continent of Asia: ** Asian people, people in or descending from Asia ** Asian culture, the culture of the people from Asia ** Asian cuisine, food based on the style of food of the people from Asi ...

in 2018, the 2019 Asia Triathlon Championships in South Korea, and in the same year, in the Asian Championships in Japan. Competing for the team of the

Syrian Arab Republic Syria ( ar, سُورِيَا or سُورِيَة, translit=Sūriyā), officially the Syrian Arab Republic ( ar, الجمهورية العربية السورية, al-Jumhūrīyah al-ʻArabīyah as-Sūrīyah), is a Western Asian country loc ...

, he participated in the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo, where his brother Alaa was part of the

Refugee Olympic Team The Refugee Olympic Team is a group made up of independent Olympic participants who are refugees. In March 2016, the International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Thomas Bach announced the creation of the Refugee Olympic Athletes Team, as a s ...

. A picture showing the brothers hugging at the opening ceremony was widely shared on social media. In the early 2020s, Maso has continued to compete in international triathlon championships.

References

External links

* {{DEFAULTSORT:Maso, Mohamad 1993 births Living people Syrian male triathletes Olympic triathletes for Syria Triathletes at the 2020 Summer Olympics Sportspeople from Aleppo Triathletes at the 2018 Asian Games 21st-century Syrian people Syrian refugees Syrian emigrants to Germany