Paris 2024: in an unstable and conservative Libya, the Olympic dream of discus thrower Retaj al-Sayeh
She is nicknamed “the gold digger” for her multiple titles during local championships, such as the one obtained during the Arab Championships in 2023. At 25, Retaj al-Sayeh dreams bigger and would like to represent her country, Libya, at the Olympic Games, but the discus thrower must face the difficulties which slow down her practice, in a country still politically unstable, which is barely recovering from a civil war, and where conservatism leaves little room for the practice of sport for the women.
“Now in Libya, if I don’t bring back the gold, people are surprised and they don’t accept that I bring back a silver or bronze medal”, assures Retaj al-Sayeh, titled in juniors and seniors in the Arab championships, but who has never participated in a major senior competition. The fault, in part, of the difficulty of obtaining visas for European countries“because we are considered a country where terrorism reigns”underlines the discus thrower.
Since the fall of dictator Muammar Gaddafi in 2011, Libya has been divided between two rival governments, one recognized by the UN based in Tripoli, the capital, and the other linked to Marshal Khalifa Haftar, in the east. Security conditions remain unstable there due to the presence of numerous armed groups. In the practice of his discipline, “the biggest difficulty has long been security”, says Retaj al-Sayeh, who confides that she sometimes went to train “under the bombs”. But “Recently, life is starting to return little by little. Sports fields are opening, and security is improving”she assures, while still confiding that she will always live “in fear of war”.
As a symbol of this beginning of renewal, Retaj al-Sayeh has been training for several weeks at the Tripoli international stadium, inaugurated on March 8, after having practiced his sport for years on an abandoned and dilapidated throwing area. At his side, his father, trainer. “He was an international volleyball player on the Libyan team, and he is one of my biggest supporters. I started competing in sports from a young age at school and realized that I was stronger in this discipline. My father took me to the Olympic site in Tripoli and he let me make my choice.”she remembers.
In juniors, the discus thrower won numerous national and regional competitions, and obtained financial rewards from the regime of Muammar Gaddafi. However, his performances are not recognized by Libyan society. “From 12 to 17 years old, I was not veiled. Afterwards, I started to wear the veil. It wasn’t an obligation, but people’s outlook has changed since I put it on. They like me a lot more and now men even ask to take a photo with me.”she explains.
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