Omar Yaser Ismail is a Palestinian taekwondo practitioner. He qualified for the 2024 Paris Olympics in the −58 kg division.
Early life
Born on November 3, 2005, in the United Arab Emirates, Yaser Ismail’s roots trace back to Jenin, a town in the West Bank. His parents, who relocated to Sharjah in 2003, raised him in the UAE. He began his taekwondo journey between the ages of 9 and 10, training in Sharjah, and by the age of 12, he was already competing on the international stage.
Career
Yaser Ismail’s rise in taekwondo was marked by a bronze medal at the Cadet World Championships in Tashkent, Uzbekistan, in August 2019. He continued to compete at the highest levels, participating in the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey, and winning another bronze at the 2022 World Taekwondo Junior Championships in Sofia, Bulgaria. Yaser Ismail also competed at the Senior World Championships in 2022 and 2023, as well as the 2022 Asian Games in Hangzhou, China.
In March 2024, Yaser Ismail secured his place in Olympic history by qualifying for the 2024 Paris Olympics at the Asian Taekwondo Olympic Qualification Tournament in Tai’an, China. Competing in the −58 kg category, he became the first Palestinian taekwondo athlete, and indeed the first in any combat sport, to earn a spot in the Olympic Games. He ultimately ranked 11th after being eliminated in the round of 16.
Paris 2024
On wednesday 7 august the refugee athlete Hadi Tiranvalipour falls to Palestine’s Omar Yaser Ismail in historic Taekwondo bout at Paris 2024 Olympics
This contest was remarkable for several reasons. At just 18 years old, Yaser Ismail made history as the first athlete to represent Palestine in a combat sport at the Olympic Games. On the opposite side, 26-year-old Tiranvalipour was making his Olympic debut, representing the Refugee Olympic Team and symbolizing over 100 million refugees worldwide.
With Yaser Ismail seeded 15th and Tiranvalipour 18th, the match was tightly contested. Yaser Ismail edged out his opponent 4-3 in a close first round, then went on to win the second round, securing his place in the round of 16.
“I’m not satisfied with my performance, but first and foremost, I appreciate the IOC for giving me this chance. We are representing 100 million people,” Tiranvalipour shared with Olympics.com. “All of our journeys have been difficult, from the beginning until now.”
When asked if he had a message for refugees around the world, he responded, “I have one message: if we are here, we’re going to fight. We’ve faced many challenges. Never give up; if you have a goal, a dream, you have to keep going. This is my message to all the refugee people in the world. We have to keep going.”
