Middle East (MNN) ― The greatest victories for six Olympic athletes were not in the pool or on the track. but they were outside the athletic arena.
In a new documentary titled "Struggle and Triumph," six Olympic athletes, in sports ranging from long distance running to swimming and badminton, will discuss their greatest challenges and victories. The documentary will be aired by SAT-7 in Arabic, Farsi, and Turkish, just in time for the 2008 Olympics. The film features athletes whose placing varies from gold medal to those who didn't receive a medal but overcame insurmountable odds nonetheless.
"The model of Christianity in this region is often that Christianity is only for the weak, for those who are simple and have no other options," says SAT-7 Acquisitions Manager George Makeen. He says that these stories are important to tell in the Middle East and North Africa.
"Athletes in the Arab world are stars, and people really look up to them," Makeen said. "So it's important, especially for young people in this area, to see athletes who are famous and successful and are still followers of Christ."
One of the most powerful stories in this film is about a world class distance runner from Rwanda. Dieudonne Disi came in 17th place in the 10,000 meter run in the 2004 Olympics. But Disi had already run the race of his life.
"On my last day with my father...[he] said we are all going to die. He wanted to pray a prayer to prepare to go to heaven," recalls Disi. "My family started to pray, but I went outside. I heard the rebels knock on the door. It opened, they said something to my family...it was ‘Death! Death!' In the end, everyone within 400 meters was killed.
"I used to pray everyday, but when my family was killed I stopped praying. For many years I did not pray."
Somehow Disi found the strength to keep running the race set before him.
"I realized that if I was ever going to see my family again, I needed to start praying again. In the Bible it says there is only one way to heaven--through Jesus Christ."
This is just one of the emotionally powerful stories included in the documentary, which will air on SAT-7's three Middle Eastern channels. The film is produced by Athletes in Action.
