In 2018, Samer Tawk became the first athlete to represent Lebanon in cross-country skiing at the Winter Olympics. A year later, he was lying in a hospital bed wondering if he would ever walk again.
Japanese figure skater Kaori Sakamoto launches her quest for a fairytale Olympic swansong on Tuesday as heavy snow in the Italian Alps disrupted the schedule at the Milan-Cortina Games.
The 2026 Winter Olympics will see athletes competing from five MENA countries: Morocco, Lebanon, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and debutants the UAE.