Highlight: Swimming from Olympics to Women Empowerment and Political Impacts by Valerie Tarazi

I swim to compete, they swim to survive.

Highlights — Valerie Tarazi

Being able to raise the flag, is the biggest honor I could ever ask for.

In locker room, I ended up having who was the gold medalist in the event and asking her “ can you please go run the suit?” And she's like, yeah, no problem. So I switched the suit “.

I say Palestine is like the most special places on earth I've been to.

I'm still a competing athlete and I'm grateful but my job now is to create opportunities for the next generation.

There's not a professional community in swimming unless you're an olympic gold medalist who has set so many records, I make zero money.

I posted a picture on Instagram that still up there and it says, that's a wrap, meaning that's done. And then I said, well, maybe not and I put the Palestinian flag.

At the end of the day, if the strong people in power don't buy into why having women in sports across all areas, then nothing gonna happen.

Sport has given me more than I could ever ask for, give that opportunity to your daughters.

The purpose of the Orca movie was to show how it takes dedication and commitment to break a social norm.

I'm an Olympic swimmer. I've been lifting weights since I was 14 years old and I still have young men telling me that I can't do something.

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What does it mean to represent a war-torn country in an event where peace is promoted as one of the core values? What is the inside story of a girl with world-class swimming talent who fights for women’s power in a culture where women are often underestimated? And what will be written in history when a girl from Palestine speaks up on behalf of all Palestinian athletes, those who strive to bring peace to their beloved country through resilience and determination in sport?

As a Palestinian-American Olympic swimmer, Valerie Tarazi is ready to unveil the lesser-known stories behind the spotlight. Beyond the competition, her journey involved building trust within the Palestinian community, gaining support, and committing to a shared mission of pride and progress.

This episode will reveal how Valerie’s path to becoming an elite athlete was shaped not only by access to proper training resources, but also by critical moments of decision-making, sacrifice, and purpose. It took more than skill to reach the Olympic stage, it took belief, both from herself and from those who rallied around her.

Having proudly represented Palestine in the 2024 Summer Olympics, Valerie now carries a deeper mission. With strong faith in the power of sport, she is determined to empower more Palestinian and women athletes to rise, speak up, and build a future grounded in strength and peace. Through her story, we discover not only the cost of success, but also the impact of using sport as a voice for people who are in critical need.

Thank you so much again for joining our program, which is something I was all cherishing the thought to be joining. With all the pleasure I took, I'm here today to talk about your wonderful, and amazing jobs in your life at the social level and professional sports, so how are you and what's your new updates with all this after your recent back-to-back events?

Valerie Tarazi: yes, honestly, it's been crazy. I think since the beginning of the year, I've been home in Auburn Alabama for less than a month, So it's been quite crazy just traveling, getting to do some cool things.

I just got back from a five-week-long trip where I was in the Philippines. I hosted a gender equity seminar in Brunei. I met some people in Malaysia and then I swam a competition and hosted some swim camps in Dubai. Then, I flew straight back to the US for a three-day competition and then drove down to Miami, just had a meeting with Panam Sports yesterday and now I landed at 2 in the morning and I'm back in Auburn,Alabama for the next three days and I actually leave for Kuwait next week.

So it was lots of trips with maybe lots of reaping medals, right?

Valerie Tarazi: I did win three gold medals and a silver in Dubai, so that was really cool.

So please accept my sincerest congratulations on all these. So as we are getting through our main job today, first thing I wanted to share with the world, how was the experience of the Paris Olympic as a whole?

“ being able to raise the flag, especially at this time in history is the biggest honor I could ever ask for “

Valerie Tarazi: You know, it's kind of crazy. Leading up to the Olympics, you know, I got to achieve my personal dream, of course. And then everything going on in Palestine, You know, it's a huge responsibility to speak about Palestine and be someone that everyone listens to. For some reasons, people see athletes as normal people, not just a number, and when I got a voice, it was a lot of pressure, and looking back on it, I'm really grateful for the experience. I think that's the best word to describe. Everything is grateful because like i said i got to achieve my personal dreams but i got to tell everyone firsthand what was happening in Palestine. Talking about my experiences and my friends’ experiences, I would say answer this question a little differently now that I think I just hit nine months removed from the Olympics which is crazy, especially when you train your entire life, it feels like I don't know, I was in such a weird place for about six months after the Olympics, like what now, right? But it was an extremely, stressful time. Looking back and looking at pictures and looking at like mini vlogs I made, I was like how did I function, I don't remember half of the stuff that happened to me or half the things I did and it's kind of like very surreal to look back and think about all the amazing things that have come since then, but being there and being able to raise the flag, especially at this time in history is the biggest honor I could ever ask for.

That's important to have such a broad and wonderful view as an athlete. So Let's come to the perspective of performance level. How was it in your views and how much you were happy at the end?

Valerie Tarazi: So post-Olympics, the only thing that people needed to see is that I competed, right? So you see the pictures, you've seen the TikTok, the reels everyone made of me smiling after the race and pointing to my flag and all the great things. What people don't know is how mad I was. And I mean, that swim I did, performance-wise was absolutely horrible. From a very personal level, it wasn't good.

Sorry, you mean compared to your previous records?

Valerie Tarazi: No, I did go a personal best time. I dropped one-hundredth of a second. So, the cool part about that was, is when you read headlines, fastest Arab in history, new Palestinian national record, great. By one 100th of a second. Which is great. Don't get me wrong. I'm so proud. But I trained realistically to go two to four seconds faster than that. It was a very, like, not a well-put-together swim. And the thing that other people don't realize is I almost missed my race. Completely almost missed my race. I Was running. I've been doing the same warm-up since I was 14 years old. I know how long it takes to put my swimsuit on. The problem I was running like, I don't know, maybe like 5-10 minutes behind schedule. Nothing like crazy. I was kind of like, maybe a little rushed. And I was like, oh, like, you know, I got to go. I got to put my suit on. And my coach was like,oh, yeah, go.

“ In locker room, I ended up having who was the gold medalist in the event and asking her “ can you please go run the suit?” And she's like, yeah, no problem. So I switched the suit “

So I was putting my suit on and I ripped it. I ripped my swimsuit. And I was like, oh, my gosh [laughing]. And I already had swimsuit issues. Basically I had the wrong swimsuit and the wrong size and the wrong brand. My coach, when he flew over to Paris, he's like, don't worry, I'll bring you another suit. We're good. So I had this suit on that he brought me and I put it on and it ripped. And I was like, oh no. And this is a 5600 dollar swimsuit. Then I called him and I'm like in the locker room, I need you to bring me another suit. And he's like, I'll be outside the locker room, just have someone run the suit back and forth. So I ended up having who was the gold medalist in the event? Keep that in mind. I was like “ can you please go run the suit?” And she's like, yeah, no problem. So I switched the suit.

Well, it's the suit that's the wrong brand, the wrong size. So I'm putting the suit on again. And these suits take normally 10 to 15 minutes to get on because they're so tight. And they don't stretch. And you're sweating, so you're trying to put the suit on. It doesn't move [laughing]. Anyways, I ripped this suit and I was like, oh my gosh, no, the second suit. So I'm like putting it on and I was like, well, I have to put a suit on. This is the only other one I have. And it rips. And I was like, oh my gosh. Well, I'm still like trying to put the suit on. It rips again. And I was like, oh my gosh. Well, something has to go on, right? Like there has to be a competition suit. So I'm pulling it up and this suit rips to shreds to the point where I take the suit and I just rip it off. It was unwearable. Like this thing was in shreds. So I rip it off. I'm looking at my watch and I have 10 minutes till I race in the Olympics, like in the pool. So I put on, I grabbed my other suit, which was ripped.

“ these girls are looking at me in the locker room. They're like, there's no way this girl making her race”

And I somehow get the suit on and all these girls are looking at me in the locker room. They're like, there's no way this girl making her race. Like no way. Anyway, so I get the suit on. I have a rip. You can see it. It's from here to here in the swimsuit. It's huge. And once the swimsuit rips, it continues to rip. Like, once it's on, it doesn't just hold and like,you have a hole? No, it continues to go. So anyways, my coach is standing outside the locker room like “ ready to hold up the entire competition “ and he has my swim cap and goggles and like he gives them to me and i'm like running to the ready room, and you sit there and what you have to do is you go through, they check your swim cap, they check your goggles and then they check your swimsuit to make sure it has a sticker on it like the right one and my swimsuit was fine, and they're like that's the wrong swim cap and because it didn't have the right logos on it and the right sizes, and i was like someone give me a swim cap, i'm racing now, like i'm the next race, i'm like someone give me a swim cap and everyone's like looking at me, i'm like “ give me a swim cap “ so They're like “ we only have one extra that is the ..”, I'm like, I need that cap. So I grabbed the cap and I throw it on and I put my goggles on, and I'm sitting, I like run to the front of the ready room, because you sit in rows and I'm sitting there in the last heat of men walk-out. I was sitting there and I was sitting like I probably got 10 seconds to sit down and it just like close my eyes, I was like all right, well here we go, I'm racing at the Olympics and I walked out and I just took my three deep breaths, and I knew what to do, like I knew how to swim the race, I trained it, I put in all the work, I didn't think about the race, I wasn't worried about that, I was happy, I made it and I remember I looked at my coach like I was at the start end of the pool, and he was all the way down at the other end of the pool. I looked at him, and for some reasons, I could hear my coach out of a whole stadium. I know exactly where he is. I saw him. He gave me a smile, And I was like, all right, here we go. Time to race at the Olympics.

And the crazy part is, so when you get done racing, you get out of the pool and they like parade you around. So you have to walk up the biggest flight of stairs you've ever seen. So you walk up this flight of stairs and then you wind through all the media. And I didn't see my coach for 10-15 minutes and he was waiting for me and I gave him a big hug, he's like “ how do you feel?“ I was like “ I can't believe I made it “. And he goes “ I cannot believe you made the race “.

I cannot believe either [laughing]

Valerie Tarazi: yes and then he said “ that was a best time for you “, I was like I don't think, there's no way and he's like “ no, I think it was “ and we looked it up and he's like yeah “ it was like a new national record “ and we were joking and he knew, I was like that was a horrible race and he was like “ yeah that wasn't good “ and we were kind of laughing because in the moment no one cares because at the end of the day, if you don't win an olympic medal or you're not in an olympic final, no one cares, in the best way they care you compete. You could get ninth place, you could get 50th place and it's all the same, I can almost guarantee you. It's the coolest feeling in the world. It's like just being there, is an accomplishment in itself.

It was one of the most stressful events I ever heard of someone had. It was like kind of a big paradox for you who are not happy with the results, but the post-match reactions for whatever you've done for the Palestinians at the psychosocial and political level was, very different feeling you're getting and that's a kind of a big paradox to digest. Let's back to your childhood, that's always a major part of any athlete.Your childhood, I guess has been in Illinois, Chicago, so let's just start this part with how it was like being a child in your family, parents, and the culture you was born?

Valerie Tarazi: Yes, I would say I live a very typical American life. I always grew up knowing I was Palestinian, but I'd say that was the extent of it. Because my dad's dad who was born and raised in Gaza. He passed away when I was a year old. So I never knew him. if anyone ask me who do you want if you could have one person to have a meal with, that's who i would want to sit down and talk to my grandfather. I just want to know everything and I have so many questions, but I live a very typical american life because I didn't have the struggles of growing up in Palestine.

To the naked eye, if someone looks at me, they're not going to be like, oh my gosh, she's Palestinian. So, I say my life was easy, and it was. Of course, I had challenges like every other person, but it was typical. I played a bunch of sports. My family is so close. I mean, even I'm 25 and my brother's 29 now., we still go on family vacations in the summer. We still all meet up. It's a very close knit family.

So your closeness to your parents kind of resembled a Palestinian or Middle Eastern life. How about your parents, Valerie? Were they athletes and How much they were supportive?

Valerie Tarazi: My dad was... He played football, like American football and baseball growing up. My mom, she was a cheerleader. It's not like they were super into sports. They didn't play sports at university. But my brother and I were always put in sports as something fun to do, right? And we love to play sports.I mean, I say I did every sport under the sun—hockey, ice hockey, baseball, tennis, swimming, cheerleading, figure skating, track and field. At any given time, I was in like three to five sports [laughing].

I stayed competitive with sports. I was a three-sport state champion. I did ice hockey, softball, and swimming. And then I was all-state in track and field. So up until I was 14, I was on the number two softball team in the country.

Sorry, what discipline of track and field?

Valerie Tarazi: I threw discus, so I was a thrower. I'm not super fast, but I can throw things.

You're still fast in swimming, and you're a king of short distances in swimming. So it's all about the strength and the speed.

Valerie Tarazi: for sure and on questions like what separates you from an average swimmer well, I would say people that there are a lot of things, one is that since I was 12 years old I've been doing training twice a day, I've been training a ridiculous amount, but never to the point where I didn't want to do it. It was always my own will to compete, to train. Yes, of course there are the days you don't want to do it. My parents and support system were there to help me. But growing up, doing other sports always helped me. Because at the end of the day, sometimes you just have to be an athlete. So Softball was my way of keeping my mind off of swimming. It was so fun for me. I got to be with my friends. I got to talk, and I liked to play.

“ I've been training a ridiculous amount, but never to the point where I didn't want to do it “

When I was 14, that's kind of when I stopped softball going into high school because I wanted to be a super elite swimmer. It was ridiculous like i was so locked to train everything, then i started to get burnt out a little bit and my dad saw that and he was like you know what, why don't you just do track and field. He's like, just do it for a little bit, like three months out of the year, compete for your high school, be with your friends,and it's going to help you swim.

I was like, okay. And he's like, just throw the heavy ball far. And people always laugh at that, but at the end of the day, isn't that what the sport is? Like, you take a heavy object and you throw it far. Swimming, you want to get from one end of the pool to the other end as fast as you can and beat the people next to you. And I think everyone overcomplicates what sports is. You just have to grow up and simplify it. And even now, I travel all over the world. I'm gone so much. My coach is based here in Auburn, Alabama, but I try to text him almost every single day. He sends me my workout. I text him how it is. I send him my WHOOP data. And he knows that if I'm out of the water and I can't find a pool, we have a theory. Be an athlete. Go do something. Go run. Last summer, before the Olympics, I was at the International Olympic Academy for two weeks, and I had very limited pool access. I was running track workouts. I was doing yoga. I was playing volleyball. I was playing basketball. I was playing tennis. We did it all. But he's like, whatever you do, do it as an elite athlete.You are an elite athlete. Play hard. And I was like, I'm going to play hard. And that's what I did. And that's our theory on everything we do, just being explosive and just love to play sport.

The good thing, Valerie, in your background, is that you experience kind of similar sports with similar movement patterns to swimming like throwing and volleyball, which could be a key factor in the success of elite swimmer. So please correct me if I'm wrong?

Valerie Tarazi: Yes, I mean, swimming uses every muscle in your body. So any movement that you do to strengthen muscles that are less used or more used in swimming is good, no matter how you move,we really focused the season on getting me to jump.And it sounds dumb, but just having explosive power reaction makes a huge difference, especially in the events that I've transitioned to. I'm kind of sprinting a little bit more. It's important to be able to jump. And that's a land activity, but in the pool it translates very well.

That’s actually is, right. So have you ever visited Palestine over the course of your life So when and how was it like?

Valerie Tarazi: Yeah, I've been there twice. My life-changing event is when I won two gold, three silver, and a bronze medal at the Arab Championships. It was June 2023, so it's been almost two years. When I won all those medals, I brought a lot of attention to Palestine. It was really cool because after I won, they're like, well, you have to come to Palestine. And I kind of like laughed a little bit because as a U.S. Citizen, there's no way you could go to Palestine. It's an active war zone and not safe. They're like you have to come to palestine and we're gonna fly you and your family in. I was finally there for two weeks and I did everything, I was in Jerusalem, Bethlehem and Nazareth, and in Romolo for most of the time, got to meet with the Olympic Committee and reconnect with a bunch of family.

“ I say Palestine is like the most special places on earth I've been to, of the 58 countries I visited, and Palestine is my favorite country in the whole world “

I say Palestine is like the most special places on earth I've been to, of the 58 countries I visited, and Palestine is my favorite country in the whole world. It feels so right being there. It truly feels at home. It's so special. It's like, there's no way to describe it. And I talk to other Palestinians and they say they get the same feeling. When they go back to Palestine, it just feels right. And if you're not Palestinian, you don't quite get it. But just being able to go home is lik the best feeling ever.

But the second time I went back to Palestine was crazy. I was actually in training camp in one of the suburbs of Paris. So this was right before the Olympics. I was in training camp and I get a call from our Olympic Committee president and he goes, “ listen… I need you to fly into Palestine and you need to be in Ramallah for like a day and a half “. You're going to shoot a swimming documentary, and then I need you to give a speech on behalf of the Palestinian athletes. So I was like, okay. it's not ideal because I need to be in the pool. So I flew into Ramallah and I was there 36 hours, I flew in and I gave a speech that went viral because it was less than a week out from olympics opening. In part of the swimming documentary that I got to film, I was actually walking through the old part of Ramolla and just seeing everything and just like experiencing the culture. So it made my Olympic experience a hundred times better. Being able to go home and just be reminded of who I represent and the people that I represent and that I have to stand up for. Then, I went back to training camp and a few days later got to hold the flag on the boat.

Agree. I guess it could be somehow a gift for you to see the pace of life there in Palestine the country you're going to represent. So how was your touches with your Palestinian people? any feedback from them in social media?

Valerie Tarazi: Yeah. one thing I have to say is that the group of Palestinian Olympians that were in Paris was a very tight knit group of people, I'm in contact with them so frequently, daily and some of them weekly but You know, like Omar and Waseem, they're like my little brothers.Yazan, I spent two years with him, frequently. Like, it was just us on training camp. These people are my family. So it didn't matter the sport. I have a great support system just with the Palestinian athletes. I also have tremendous support from the Palestinian Olympic Committee.

I've received so much love too from the palestinian community, in Palestine and Gaza and the West Bank but from all over the world you know Palestinians are displaced all over the world and of course I get hate on instagram, I mean of course there's a war going on, there's two sides to every story of course, I'm gonna get some negative comments, that's the life; but the amount of love and support I get overshines all of that. It was crazy because when I got done with Paris, I flew back to Auburn, Alabama, and I didn't have a place to live. I was kind of just like living in and out of people's houses, like trying to get my feet on the ground, figure out what I wanted to do with my life. And someone messaged me on Instagram and it was like a nice long message “ my name's Sarah. I live in Auburn. I'm a Palestinian. Like I would love to meet up with you and get lunch and all this stuff “. And I was like, no way there's a Palestinian in Auburn, Alabama. That was my first thought and I replied to her and i was like you're so sweet, like of course I would love to meet up and she introduced me to a very small Palestinian community here and just a Middle Eastern community as well, so i was able to be introduced to that side of my life which i've never experienced. Sarah's one of my best friends now and just having that love and support and that little bit of home feeling is so nice.

Do we have Olympic Committee in Palestine now and they're doing their wonderful jobs even at the middle of the wars?

Valerie Tarazi: Yes, You know, they're doing as much as they can with what they're given. But We don't have funding. And the situation is horrible. It's really hard to do your job properly when you don't have the funding and the resources to do it. That being said, they do a great job with what they're given.

“ I'm still a competing athlete and I'm grateful for that but my job now is to create opportunities for the next generation “

I would say weekly just giving them updates, I'm on the executive board now for the palestinian olympic committee, so i'm helping run things and finding funding opportunities. I'm still a competing athlete and I'm grateful for that but my job now is to create opportunities for the next generation and figure out what we can do because sports is so important to development of children. You don't have to be an Olympian, go outside and play,and that's just not a reality in Palestine right now.

Right, that's actually what we are doing now, I and my team in WSP, just trying to make some space for the women who are living in underprivileged communities. Now I would take a moment to state my sincerest salute to all the Palestinian people while I'm wishing for bright days for them and that's the least we can do and the least we can wish for to just have a safe space to live. That's one of the least things we as a human being should stand with and call for it. How did you head into professionalism in sports? And how did it feel in the earlier years?

Valerie Tarazi: well, there's not a professional community in swimming unless you're an olympic gold medalist who has set so many records, you're not gonna make any money, we have olympic medalists who make little.

“ there's not a professional community in swimming unless you're an olympic gold medalist who has set so many records, I make zero money “

I make zero money off swimming, I even lose money competing for Palestine. And I will never ever complain about that because I absolutely love what I do. I truly could not be more grateful.

It's kind of like move on, get a job, move on, get it. I'm doing my PhD, but I have the opportunity to swim and I love swimming. And I always say that because swimming is a sport that requires far too much dedication and hard work and consistency to be good at and be unhappy. Most swimmers quit at 22 years old when they're done with university. I had the opportunity to compete for Palestine. I was only a year and a half out from the Olympics. So that was the ultimate goal. And my coach was fully on board with that. My coach is the crazy one in the world who still loves swimming too. So I was going to retire after the Olympics. And I think it was like this time around last year, and I always said the Olympics would be the last swim meet I ever do, last competition. And I kind of walked into his office and I was like, did you know there's a world championship in December after the Olympics? And he's like “ yes “. And I was like, you know, it's a short course meter to like 25 meter pool. And he was like “ yeah “, I kind of think it would be fun to do that. And he looks at me and he's like “ no one forcing you to retire. Like do it. Why not? “ And that's kind of I say what kick-started everything. I didn't want to be done. Yes, I had the Olympics coming up, and that's the ultimate dream, but I love to do what I do, and I say, do I have any inspiration? I mean, I grew up swimming against the best swimmers in the world. I grew up swimming with, you know, on deck with Katie Ledecky. I was swimming at competitions with Michael Phelps. And I think that's always what kept me going, I got to see the best swimmers and compete with them. I still strive for more. I know I haven't reached my fullest potential at 25, which is unusual for swimming, but I'm always hungry for more.

Great to hear that, that is a great trait of an athlete. What was your feelings when you, for the first time, received Palestinian invitation formally to compete for them?

Valerie Tarazi: Yes, I can tell you the exact moment because it had been a very long journey to be able to compete for Palestine. Initially, when I sent emails, trying to get in contact with the right people, I wasn't getting any responses. So it took a long time. I would say a year or two to even get a response from anyone.

Sorry, may I ask you if it was something you yourself kick-started and approached?

Valerie Tarazi: for sure. I say this in a light sense, but my dad whom we always called my manager growing up because he had everything planned to achieve. But my dad had kind of like, I don't want to say he's taken a step back but in a sense that he was kind of like, all right, like, you're wrapping up your swim career. I've already invested a lot in you. You have a degree. So,you know, like you don't need to swim anymore. And of course the Olympics was a dream of mine, but representing Palestine is not easy to do, I say this in terms of the view of the world, not my views, but how do you represent a country that's not recognized as a country, right? Of course, I don't believe that. But it's complicated, right? Especially because my grandfather passed away so long ago and proving that I was Palestinian was hard. So, I mean, it's a crazy situation and it's always difficult, but very long story short, two things happened. One, my coach at Auburn swam at the University of Alabama with the current national team head coach of Jordan.

“ I posted a picture on Instagram that still up there and it says, that's a wrap, meaning that's done. And then I said, well, maybe not and I put the Palestinian flag “

And my coach was like, don't worry, if you're not getting responses, there's a world championships coming up. I'll go find the Jordanian team and tell them to introduce me to the Palestinian team.And I was like, okay, good luck with that (laughing). Well, that connection worked.So that's how we got in contact with the Swimming Federation, but I still didn't hear anything. I posted on Instagram when I was done competing for my university when I finished competing for my university. I should have been done swimming, right? And I posted a picture on Instagram that still up there and it says, that's a wrap, meaning that's done. And then I said, well, maybe not and I put the Palestinian flag. Because it was always like the goal, the aspiration to continue swimming representing Palestine.Well, the other Palestinian swimmer, Yazan Al-Bawwab, was following me on Instagram and slid into my DMs. It was like “ wait a second, you're Palestinian”. And I was like yeah. And then he was like “ why aren't you competing for us? ” And I was like “ I'm trying, no ones responding”. And he's like “ no, no, no. You need to get in contact with this person”. I called, and actually, it's funny enough, it was Nader J. Uc., who's the technical director at the time, who's like? he's like a father to me. I talk to him frequently.I was on the phone with him, and he's like, girl, what's up? And how you doing? Like, what's going on? Like, you want to swim for us? And I was like, yeah. And he's like “ okay. Explain to me, how are you Palestinian? “ And I explained to my grandfather. And then he's like “how are your numbers looking? “ Meaning my times. I was like “ my times are good, respectfully, they would be the fastest times in the country for Palestine “ And I kind of explained that to him. And he goes,okay. Send me your numbers. We'll be in touch. I was like, well, this is never going to happen.

So fast forward all of April passes, I am on a plane to Hawaii with my mom and dad and I'm about to take off, and I was checking my email and I got an email saying congratulations you'll be representing Palestine in the Arab Championships, the Asian Games, and at World Championships this summer. And I'd been messing around all spring, in the pool maybe three, four times a week at most, kind of just enjoying my last few days of college, like nothing insane, right? I got that email and I had six weeks till the Arab Games and I was going on holiday. I was like, oh my gosh, there's no way. And I get on the phone with my coach. I was like, listen “ I'm on the runway. I'm about to take off, but you need to read this email”. And he's like, “ oh my gosh, no problem, call me when you land”. So I had a nine hour flight to Hawaii and I had to just sit there in my own happiness. I just sit there and be all excited by myself. And I was like, I don't even know what to do. So that was a really cool moment. And I ended up training on that vacation, which I normally do. I was more focused this time and came back. My coach and I had a plan and I obviously had a really great arab championships. It all worked out for the best. So.Yes, that's my story.

That's completely funny, good to hear all these heartfelt and heartwarming invitations from the Palestinian Olympic Committee, but not as good as you have to be sitting in a plane,very close to the sky and don't know how to express your happiness. What I'm asking you is from the talent development process perspectives.What was missed in your journey to get no recognition from Palestinian Committee any sooner?

Valerie Tarazi: Yes, I mean, part of it was because lack of knowledge on both ends. They didn't know I existed right, so how can you recruit someone, when you don't know they exist, but also a lack of communication, because my emails were not replied.

I wasn't even sure I was emailing the right people. And I think that was the thing is, it was a lack of everything . We didn't know who to email to. We didn't know who to get in contact with. I don't speak Arabic. My dad doesn't speak Arabic. So, it was all just getting in contact with the right people and then proving you're Palestinian. My last name gives it a way, but at the same time, you still have to prove it, right?

That actually is. So I hope for the next generation of Palestinian athletes, youngest stars, they're not going through such problems?

Valerie Tarazi: For sure. And the other thing is, I've had a lot of people reach out to me now, being Palestinian-Americans or Palestinians living all over the world. They are Like “ who do I reach out to? “ And I put them in contact with the right people.

‘ It's not our fault as Palestinians that we can't live there ‘

I think that's so important, especially now as an executive board member of the Olympic Committee. My goal is to make Palestine sports as great as possible. And it's not our fault as Palestinians that we can't live there.

It's not necessarily the Olympic Committee that has the final say on some things. A lot of the time it's the Federation. I was just in Dubai last week and I did a swim camp and there was a girl, Alma, reached out to me like two years ago to represent palestine and I got her in contact with the right people, so she is representing our Junior team right now. It's such a cool moment to realize that like I helped her on her journey and meet up her.

That's incredible to pave the way for others. May I have your overall perspective on the place of women's sport in Middle East?

Valerie Tarazi: yes, I am on the executive board for the Olympic Council of Asia and I chair the Gender Equity Committee. So one of the super cool things that I do is I overlook the entire continent of Asia for gender equity. Our goal is to create more opportunities for women in sport because in general the opportunities aren't there, the IOC International Olympic Committee wants 30% representation across everything. They want at least 30% representation on executive boards, coaches, official, admin. Obviously, they're shooting for 50-50 on athletes. But we don't want to just put women in a position to put them in a position.

‘ At the end of the day, if the strong people in power don't buy into why having women in sports across all areas, then it's not gonna happen ‘

What we're really working on in Asia right now is creating those opportunities for women, creating leadership seminars,the other thing is getting male buy-in. That is a huge thing, how do you have male allies in sports? So Prince Faisal bin Hussein, he is actually the biggest advocate for women in sports in Asia. He works with the International Olympic Committee on it. And he's the biggest person pushing right now. I think that's huge, especially as a Middle Eastern man with power, we have someone advocating for us, because at the end of the day, if the strong people in power don't buy into why having women in sports across all areas, then it's not gonna happen.

So that's kind of what we're looking at as athletes. Obviously we're on an upward trend. The great news about Asia is we represent 60% of the world population on one continent but the worst in gender equity, yet we have the most room for improvement.

Correct. We need to follow them up as well, not only leaving them alone with the positions. What about the next Olympic? Are you going to participate?

Valerie Tarazi: That's the goal. Obviously that is the goal. I want to compete in the next Olympics. But I always say I take it season by season. Right now I'm focused on Singapore World Championships.

That's how it goes. So if there are some people, coaches or teammates, made the most significant impact on your career, who they are?

Valerie Tarazi: I've had countless coaches, so I would say every coach along the way has had a huge impact. So I never want to discredit any coach. But the coach I have now is the reason I'm still swimming. I love him with all my heart. He has been there for me every step of the way. Actually, I say he adopted me because when I came into university, I committed with a different coaching staff. I had different coaches and my senior year and fifth year at Auburn, I was lucky enough to swim under him. I didn't sign up for him and I say, he was given to me.

And I have a coach who looks at me as a person and is flexible and also realizes how much I love swimming, and how much i'm willing to put into it, and we have this COMMON conversation, i mean weekly, monthly out,where we're going, what's the goal,what are we doing, and he makes it so much fun for me. He helped me re-fall in love with the sport when things weren't going great. And I'm forever grateful for that. He really is the best coach in the world for me.

Yes,that's actually a right definition and the good traits of every coach working in elite sport, while in today's world, the coaches are under the highest pressure to win and to grasp the medals. Is there anything you feel a need as a champion to change in the rules of women's sports in the Middle East or even in USA?

“ we have to have the male buy into why having women in sports is important, specially those in power “

Valerie Tarazi: I think, that's hard. There's so many things we can change. We have to bring each other up. There shouldn't be a jealousy of this person got this position or this person is doing well and I'm not. You have to empower each other. And I think that's super hard. We have super great women that like to tear each other down. And I think that's not always the case by any means, but I think it starts empowering one another. Like I said, we have to have the male buy into. Like you have to have the men in power buy into why having women in sports is important. And that's a very basic thing.

One of the most highlighted and alive issues in the Middle Eastern countries is their policies, in which no women have the rights to participate in international swimming competitions. This is what we see in our country. It is like our younger girls start swimming with no ends and no dream of competition, do you have any special words to these rule makers in the Middle East as a whole?

Valerie Tarazi: You know, it's been kind of crazy because there's a very typical Middle Eastern stereotypes ,right? Women don't have rights. They can't do this. We've seen that across the world. I also have seen, especially in the last like 10 years, a culture shift. They are trying and there absolutely can be a hundred times more effort put into it. But I mean, just think Saudi Arabia had their first ever female swimmer compete at the Olympics. That's huge. And there are people like that paving the way.

“ Sport has given me more than I could ever ask for, give that opportunity to your daughters “

We really are trying to set a new standard, a new boundary, which is cool. We have a lot of work to do and a lot more that can be done. I always say that sport has given me more than I could ever ask for. It's given me tools, foundation, skills that if I were to quit everything to do with sports today, and move on, and go get a corporate America job, I could use every single skill that I learned in swimming to translate to be successful in other areas of my life. The position I'm in today, I could have never dreamed of. Give that opportunity to your daughter, to your sister. Give those opportunities and pave the way for their future.I think that's what I encourage people to do.

That's a wonderful remark. Have you ever done swimming with your hands and feet tied?

Valerie Tarazi: Funny enough not at the same time but we train with a band around our ankles, so when you train with a band around your ankles, your legs, you will sink, so that should be interesting and challenging (laughing).

Yes, I hope you're not gonna experience, otherwise you want to try it for fun. It's maybe unlikely realistically but one of our movies, Iranian movie named Orca (2021) has hit this theme, and the first role actor done it in the memorable sense of a resistance against all the unfair and inhuman rules, and like I said, the first role actor, role played a girl who went to set a Guinness Endurance swimming record, but the rules are the main barriers. The name of the actor was Taraneh Alidoosti, who gave to the world an incredible ending sequence, when she finally did it in the sea, with her hands and feet handcuffed.

“ The purpose of the Orca movie was to show how it takes dedication and commitment to break a social norm “

Valerie Tarazi: Yes, I mean, at the end of the day, I truly believe you can do whatever you put your mind to. And whether that's breaking a social norm or setting a goal and achieving it, but you have to truly believe you can do it. And I think, that's kind of the purpose of the movie to show how it takes dedication and commitment.

Yes. The main problem with that girl in Orca was the dress code. And we have special guidelines for the dress code of women here. It's all finished now, thank you again for considering our works on Women Sports Press. I would love to end this interview with any inspirational advice you may wish to give younger girls?

Valerie Tarazi: Yes.Well, first of all, thank you so much for having me. And I'm really grateful that we got this to work. I'm always grateful for the opportunity to speak on behalf of Palestine, but to share my story and the story of my friends and family. I think I'll leave you with a little story. While I was in Palestine shooting the swimming documentary, they brought me to a gym and they wanted me to be just like working out, just lifting weights. And it wasn't anything serious. Like it truly was for a film. Like I wasn't actually doing a workout, and they had someone there and it was a male coach and long story short, he was like supposed to be coaching me right, and he was like okay “ I want you to do like overhead press right like with the dumbbell “ so, I go up to the rack and I grab like maybe 20 kilo dumbbells, like nothing super heavy for me, and I sit there and I put them on my legs and he looks at me SAYING “ those are too heavy for you “ and I like kind of laughed at him, and repped out 10.

“ I did pull-ups and everyone filming the documentary was like “ oh, wow. Like, that's pretty impressive for women“

He's like “ no, that wasn't the right technique “ and i kind of laughed at him, put him down and then he's like “ okay “ , what else do you want to do? And I was like, I can do like some pull-ups. And he's like “ are you sure? “And I was kind of like, yes, I'm sure. I can do pull-ups. And I did pull-ups and everyone filming the documentary was like “ oh, wow. Like, that's pretty impressive “.

" I'm an Olympic swimmer. I've been lifting weights since I was 14 years old. I've had some of the best coaches in the world. I'm going to the Olympics and I still have men telling me that I can't do something “

The real thing is these weights were not even what I warm up with. Again, we are just filming a documentary this is just for show and he looks at me with words like “ too heavy and you're gonna hurt yourself “ and I was like never disrespectful, especially when I'm in Palestine, I do realize the culture is different. And my point with the story is, I'm an Olympic swimmer. I've been lifting weights since I was 14 years old. I've had some of the best coaches in the world. I'm going to the Olympics and I still have men telling me that I can't do something.

You've raised such an important issue at the end,you know these are the things we've seen a lot in our culture. Such expressions and giving such baseless feedbacks to youngsters, to a girl has nothing of your background and your experience to deal with, might have changed everything in their life. We have to be tremendously cautious when dealing with younger athletes. I wish you all the bright days on your way, I'm saying on behalf of many people, please keep shining and keep working on your wonderful projects.

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