Alaa MASO

Alaa used to live in Aleppo with his family and began swimming at an early age thanks to his father, who became a swimming coach following his retirement from the army. He trained as a swimmer and a triathlete and knew fellow Refugee Olympic Team swimmer Yusra Mardini when they were growing up.

Alaa left Syria in 2015 after his training facilities were damaged and he felt the pressure of the conflict all around him. Following a long journey across Europe, he settled in Germany and began swimming once again with Emil Guliyev. He has also returned to school and is making up for the years lost due to leaving Syria.

Alaa competed at Tokyo 2020 in the 50m freestyle. After competing at the Olympic Games, Alaa had the honour of signing the “Golden Book” of Hannover at the Town Hall, marking the history of the city as the first refugee athlete to compete at such a major sporting event.