Feature: From the shadow of war to the Asian Games

Athletes from across Asia have gathered in Japan to compete for Asian Games medals. Among them are those whose journeys to the Games began far from a training ground, in places where conflict has disrupted daily life, separated families and made the pursuit of sport uncertain.

For athletes forced from their homes, sport can offer "a sense of purpose, belonging and hope," said Vinod Kumar Tiwari, deputy director general of the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA).

Palestinian triathlete Abdelrahman Tantish left Gaza about six months after the war began. He spent nine months in Egypt, where he trained alongside local athletes, before joining the Qatar national team for training.

For Tantish, reaching the Asian Games means more than taking part in a race. Many young people in Gaza have sporting ambitions, he said, but conflict and scarce resources leave them with little opportunity to pursue them.

"I hope that by competing at the Asian Games, I can show the world that despite hardship, Palestinians still have hope and can still achieve extraordinary things," he said.

Jibril Rajoub, president of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, described the obstacles athletes face, including limited resources, restrictions on movement and the strain of worrying about their families. Sometimes, he said, the committee identifies a promising athlete but cannot arrange for that person to leave and compete.

"We compete amid the rubble and train under bombardment," Rajoub said. "Despite the restrictions imposed on us, we keep moving."

The committee seeks opportunities for Palestinians from Gaza, the West Bank, Jerusalem and communities abroad, he said. Their presence at the Games also gives them a chance to meet other athletes and share their experiences.

For Yemen's wushu athlete Mugahed Mohammed, the journey to Nagoya took more than two decades. He began practicing the sport at five, yet years of conflict at home had kept him from the Asian Games until now.

His coach, Bassam al-Sabri, said Yemen's wushu program has struggled to develop since conflict broke out in 2014. International competition became difficult to access, Chinese coaches who had previously helped develop the sport left, and local training facilities fell short of professional standards.

Mohammed and his coach spent two months preparing for the Games. Their route took them through Yemen and Oman before a 20-day training camp in Hangzhou, China, arranged with Chinese support. Mohammed scored 9.083 points in the men's changquan competition on Sept. 20. A medal remained out of reach, but he had made it to the stage he had long hoped to reach.

"I am very grateful to my coach for standing by me and helping me all these years," he said. "I will keep training and work toward becoming a champion. I also hope my experience encourages more young people in Yemen to take up wushu."

Support for athletes can also come through opportunities to train and compete across borders. Iranian cyclist Mandana Dehghan Manshadi said she spent much of the past two years in China with her team.

"Most of my preparation was done in China. I raced there and trained with my team," she said. The range of events available, including races featuring climbs and mountainous sections, allowed her to prepare for specific demands on the road. "I had some of the best times of my life in China," she added.

Afghan road cyclist Fariba Hashimi arrived in Nagoya with her own measure of how far she had come. She finished 24th in the women's road race at the Hangzhou Asian Games three years ago. On Sept. 22, the 23-year-old won silver.

The name of Chinese brand Lansheng Tianxia, which has sponsored her, appeared on her podium jacket. Her sister Yulduz, also a cyclist, received help from Chinese friends during the Hangzhou Games. Such support is part of the sisters' journey, though Fariba said the encouragement she carries also comes from people she has never met.

Speaking after the race with tears in her eyes, Hashimi said, "I'm not alone." The night before, she recalled, a woman inside Afghanistan whom she did not know had sent her a message urging her not to give up on her dream and to keep fighting for women back home.

Hashimi said messages like that gave her strength to continue. She hopes her result will help other women see that their dreams are worth pursuing.

The Aichi-Nagoya Games have also welcomed an OCA Refugee Team for the first time. Its two members, Syrian taekwondo athletes Talah Al Hassan Al Hinide and Mahmoud Al Jasem Al Mohammad Al Hussein, live in Jordan's Azraq refugee camp.

The two athletes described how taekwondo had changed their lives. For Talah, it helped restore the confidence that displacement had worn away. "Taekwondo gave me the opportunity to dream again," she wrote.

Mahmoud described how training gave structure to his days and a path forward. "I woke up every morning with a purpose," he wrote. Competing at the Asian Games carries meaning beyond their own results, offering them an opportunity to represent others who have lived through displacement.

Their stories show what it can take simply to reach the start line, and how sport can create connections and opportunities across borders.