Talah Alhassan Alhinide of the Asian Refugee Team reacts ahead of the women's under-49-kilogram round of 16 taekwondo contest against Ma Jingyue of China at the 20th Asian Games Aichi-Nagoya 2026 in Toyohashi of Aichi Prefecture, Japan, on Oct. 2.XINHUA/YONHAP
NAGOYA, Japan — Talah Alhassan Alhinde, 18, lost in her first match at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday.
But the Syrian refugee, a member of the first refugee team in Asian Games history, said taekwondo has given her a new dream.
Alhinde lost to China's Ma Jingyue 2-0 on rounds, 16-1 and 16-0, in the round of 16 of the women's under-49-kilogram kyorugi, or sparring, event.
"I'm really happy to have competed at this tournament, and I'm very proud of myself," Alhinde said. "It was a new and good experience. When the referee started the count, I was very happy and excited. I want to keep competing against other athletes in the future."
The Olympics have fielded a refugee team since the 2016 Rio de Janeiro Games, but this is the first time the Asian Games has done so.
Alhinde fled Syria's civil war with her family and settled in the Azraq refugee camp in Jordan. Having lost her hometown and some family members, she was introduced to taekwondo at age 9 through an education program for refugees run by the Taekwondo Humanitarian Foundation, established by World Taekwondo.
"In a refugee camp, where even dreams feel small, taekwondo gave me the chance to dream again," Alhinde said. "I learned that a challenge isn't the end of the road, but can be a new beginning."
After growing into a competitive athlete, Alhinde joined the first Asian refugee team formed by the Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) this year, alongside fellow Syrian Mahmoud Aljasem Almohammad, 24, who competes in the men's under-80-kilogram category.
Though she lost her first bout, Alhinde is aiming higher.
"Taekwondo changed many things in my life for the better. Taking part in this tournament changed my life 180 degrees," she said. "I want to win a medal at the 2028 Los Angeles Olympics. I will train every day. I lost today, but this is the beginning of success."
Mahmoud Aljasem Almohammad of the Asian Refugee Team, left, attacks Korea's Kang Jae-gwon in the round of 16 of the men's under-80-kilogram taekwondo kyorugi event at Toyohashi Gymnasium in Toyohashi, Aichi, Japan, at the 2026 Aichi-Nagoya Asian Games on Friday.YONHAP
Almohammad, who carried the OCA flag at the opening ceremony, also lost in the round of 16, falling 2-0 on rounds, 18-7 and 20-5, to Korea's Kang Jae-gwon of Samsung S1 Taekwondo Team.
Almohammad also fled the war in 2016 and settled in the Azraq camp.
"Before I learned taekwondo, I didn't know what my future would be. I didn't have any dreams," Almohammad told the Asian Games organizing committee. "Through taekwondo, I was able to dream and make that dream come true."
"People shouldn't give up, in life or in competition," he said. "You have to chase your dreams, and even if you get hurt, you shouldn't give up. You have to keep going."
This article was originally written in Korean and translated by a bilingual reporter with the help of generative AI tools. It was then edited by a native English-speaking editor. All AI-assisted translations are reviewed and refined by our newsroom.
