BAWWAB Yazan

General
FAMILY BACKGROUND
He was born in Saudi Arabia to Palestinian parents, grew up in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and holds both Italian and Palestinian citizenship. "My parents were both refugees, it was a hard life over there, so they had to leave. So, they left for Italy, and then Saudi Arabia, and then all over the world. My uncle knew someone at the Palestinian Swimming Federation; we started to talk, and I began to represent Palestine. Anything I can do that will give something back to the communities in Palestine is a dream of mine. And that would include teaching youngsters to swim, or even just how to have fun." (middleeastmonitor, 05 Sep 2021; OFIP YouTube channel, 26 Aug 2021, 12 Aug 2021; ici, 12 Jul 2021)

COACHING
In 2020 he obtained a level 4 coaching certification from the American Swimming Coaches Association. (LinkedIn profile, 01 Feb 2022; OFIP YouTube channel, 12 Aug 2021)

SCHOLARSHIP
In 2022 he was recipient of a postgraduate scholarship offered by World Academy of Sport and World Olympians Association to study international sports management at the University of London in England. "I am looking forward to absorbing the knowledge that is offered by the programme, and applying my engineering background to sports management. I believe that having both perspectives will lead to the development of new ideas and projects." (olympians, 21 Sep 2022)

OTHER ROLES
In 2023 he was named a Young Leader by the International Olympic Committee alongside 24 other young athletes for the 2023-26 period. The programme supports these athletes in the creation of sport-based initiatives in their own communities to help address local issues. (olympics, 17 Feb 2023)