TOKYO - Celebrated as "the fastest Lebanese woman in history," Aziza Sbaity took to the track at the Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games despite war-related hardship, using sports as a platform to promote equality and combat discrimination.
Born in Liberia to a Liberian mother and Lebanese father, the 34-year-old Sbaity moved to Lebanon in her childhood as the African nation's civil war intensified.
The Asian Games are taking place amid ongoing fighting between Israel and Iran-backed Hezbollah militants in Lebanon. Sbaity's family home was destroyed in the attacks.
"Every day you sleep, you hear boom...all over. You can't sleep," she said. "It's still very tough right now."
Sbaity has faced discrimination over her skin color. When she returned to Lebanon after setting the country's 100-meter record for a woman at an overseas meet in 2021, an immigration officer looked at her passport and asked, "Where did you steal this from?"
She said representing Lebanon as a Black woman could show people "it's okay to be different and you can still represent your country despite all the differences."
British broadcaster the BBC named Sbaity one of its 100 most inspiring and influential women from around the world for 2023.
Sbaity was eliminated in the 100-meter semifinals on Friday and exited the 200 meters in the heats the following day. But she has said she was proud to have competed. "Despite everything, we're still able to be here, still able to represent."
