Jorge Antonio Salhe, born and raised in Santiago, Chile, has never set foot in Palestine, the country he represented in skeet shooting at the Paris Games. However, despite the distance, his heart is filled with both affection and anguish for the Palestinian nation. Salhe, the first Palestinian shooter to compete at the Olympics, did not make it to the final of the men’s skeet event. Nonetheless, simply competing at the Chateauroux Shooting Centre provided him with a deep sense of fulfillment. “I feel very happy and proud to represent Palestine,” the 49-year-old told Reuters. “It’s a historic occasion to represent Palestine in Olympic shooting.”
Salhe’s mother was born in Bethlehem and emigrated to Chile at the age of four. His father was born in Chile, a country with the largest Palestinian community outside the Middle East. “Most of my immediate family emigrated from Palestine to different countries around the world, particularly Latin America,” Salhe explained. “However, there are still some relatives living in Palestine.”
The anxiety about the safety of his family members in Palestine cast a shadow over his momentous achievement. “It is impossible to leave aside the pain and suffering that my country is experiencing,” he said, alluding to the ongoing conflict in Gaza. “Due to the situation that Palestine has been experiencing for a long time, it is impossible to dedicate myself 100% to my sport.”
The conflict has resulted in the deaths of at least 39,400 Palestinians since Israel launched its offensive against Hamas in response to the October 7th attack on southern Israel, which claimed the lives of 1,200 people.
Salhe, an industrial civil engineer by profession, was introduced to shooting through hunting trips with his father before joining the Chilean Air Force Shooting Club in Santiago. While he didn’t win a medal in Paris, Salhe considers his presence at the Games a victory in itself. “Because athletes like me are here, Palestine is present in the world’s view and is not forgotten at a time like this,” he remarked. “Unfortunately, I have not been to Palestine yet but I hope to be able to do so in the near future.”
