A Syrian teenager has become the youngest person in half a century to qualify for the Olympics.
Hend Zaza, an 11-year-old table tennis prodigy, defeated 42-year-old Lebanese player Mariana Sahakian 4-3 in an Olympic qualifying tournament at the West Africa Olympic Table Tennis Tournament in Jordan.
Zaza, born on Jan. 1, 2009, is currently 155th in the International Table Tennis Federation world rankings and will become the fifth-youngest Olympian in history and the youngest to qualify for the event since Russian figure skater Beatrice Hustiu did so in 1968.
The Olympics are scheduled to be held in Tokyo, but fears about the spread of the COVID-19 virus have raised concerns that the games may be scuttled. In early February, Tokyo Organising Committee CEO Toshiro Muto said he was “seriously concerned” that the virus could lead to a cancellation of the games.
Zaza will become the first Syrian-born athlete to qualify for the Olympics Games in table tennis.
