Three months before the World Athletics Championships, Muhammad Dwedar was training for the 800-metre race on the streets in Jericho, West Bank. It was faster than what he ran at the Paris Olympics, but for the 24-year-old lone athlete representing Palestine at the championships, it wasn’t enough. “I need to send a message to the world,” Dwedar said, the six-odd journalists pushing their microphones close to him. “I can leave Palestine for a few years to train abroad. Dwedar’s presence at the world championships, and the Olympics last year, was testament to the resilience and tenacity exuded by athletes.