Syrian wrestling champion passes on his skills at Zaatari camp

ZAATARI REFUGEE CAMP –– Daraa-born Mohammad Krad's passion for wrestling and his belief in his abilities transformed him from a disabled child unable to walk into a national hero in his city and throughout Syria. 

Krad, who is currently residing at the Zaatari camp, some 90km northeast of Amman, teaching young Syrians wrestling, recounted that the success of his uncle Mohammad in this sport encouraged him to become a successful sportsman. 

"I suffered from Perthes [a childhood hip disorder] and I was unable to walk. I spent the whole time watching clips of my uncle, who was the world champion in wrestling," he told The Jordan Times in a recent interview at the camp.  

"When I turned 13, thank God I was cured from the disease. It took me only four months to be ready in this sport because I already knew all the movements," Krad recalled.

The wrestler said his first big moment in the sports came in 1994, when he took part in a tournament for the first time in Idlib.

"It was the first time for me to even go out of my own city. To this day, I still remember the moment when the organisers said 'the winner is Mohammad Krad!' I felt like the king of the world," he said with a smile. 

Although Krad's uncle was unable to watch the tournament, his family members were overjoyed by his victory.

"I went back home at 3am, and when I entered the house holding the certificate, everyone was amazed. My uncle and father were surprised that I won after only four months of practice, and we stayed up late, talking about the tournament and the people I beat."

Krad said he was the Syrian wrestling champion 12 times in 10 years and clinched the gold medal of the Arab championship. He was also chosen to be a member of the national team in the 1996 Moscow Olympics.  

"Later I was known in the city, and many players used to fear me, but at the same time I respected my opponents." 

Krad decided to continue on to a college for sports, and although he did not pass the exams on his first attempt, he said the support he received from his family and his mother, in particular, helped bring him back to the track of success.   

"My mother told me: 'If you want to be a hero you have to lose the first round so that you win the whole game.' In 2002, I passed the exams and joined university afterwards," he said.

Upon finishing college in 2006, the wrestler made up his mind to stop playing and turn to coaching. 

"I decided to stop playing because I had already achieved many things and I wanted to start on a new path, combining the practical side with the information I acquired from college," he noted, adding that he trained more than 180 young Syrians in Daraa. 

However, Krad's popularity also had some negative effects, as he was forced to make a difficult choice when anti-regime demonstrations started in his city.  

"I was approached by the sports federation to be one of the 'shabiha' [pro-Bashar Assad thugs] to end the demonstrations in the city by force." 

He said that since many Syrians saw him as a national hero, he did not want to tarnish this image and, therefore, decided to leave the city the following day. 

After moving through many locations in Syria, Krad sensed that the situation was getting more dangerous, so he decided to move to Jordan four years ago. 

Since arriving at the camp, which is home to around 80,000 refugees, Krad has been teaching Syrian children wrestling.

"I met a number of my former students here at the camp, and they still remember me. It was really a joyful moment for me. My ambition is to see one of my students become a famous sportsman in the future."