Palestinian swim coach Ibrahim Tawil felt bittersweet relief when he parted from his two Olympic athletes, who were on their way to Beijing. Although he is unable to be with them now, at least, he said, they will have regular access to something he struggled and failed to provide them: a pool.
"Now they will be able to swim every day," Mr. Tawil, 45, said.
Preparing swimmers Zakiya Nassar, 21, and Hamza Abdu, 17, for the Beijing Olympics has become practically an impossible mission for the beleaguered coach. There is no Olympic-sized pool in the Palestinian territories and no budget to speak of for the Palestinian Olympic swimmers, who are half of the Palestinian Olympic Team.
"Actually, we didn't get a budget for our swim federation for something like five years from the Palestinian Authority," Mr. Tawil said. "We started getting some money two months ago."
That money was too little too late, Mr. Tawil said. It helped pay for Mr. Abdu to train in the 50-metre pool in West Jerusalem, but only a few times a week.
"That's not often enough," Mr. Abdu said, before he left for Beijing. The lean athlete with gel-spiked hair holds the Palestinian records for 100-metre freestyle and 100-metre butterfly.
"Do you know how I feel when I get into a 50-metre pool?" he asked over a Coke in the lobby of the YMCA, where he lifts weights. "I feel like I'm in an ocean."
Until two months ago, the Palestinian Swim Federation paid for Mr. Abdu's membership at the 17-metre pool at the YMCA in East Jerusalem, but it could not afford the 50-metre-pool membership.
At least Mr. Abdu could swim. Zakiya Nassar has not been able to train for three months. She is from the city of Bethlehem south of Jerusalem and it was there she began swimming in the city's small pool at the age of 9. But the 21-year-old is now studying dentistry at the Arab-American University in Jenin, which has no pool. Mr. Tawil made arrangements for her to swim at a pool in the nearby Israeli city of Nazareth, but Israel refused to give her permission to enter, he said.
"I'm really worried about her," Mr. Tawil said. Ms. Nassar said she had cried a lot over the past few months, fearing that she would shame her people by coming in last.
If it weren't for the Olympic Solidarity Committee, Mr. Tawil doubts the athletes would even have made it to Beijing. The committee, which helps athletes from poor countries, paid for the swimmers' airfare and accommodation and Mr. Tawil hopes it will also provide other things. Mr. Abdu has a problem in one of his muscles, but could not afford proper treatment.
"We hope the Chinese can give him a physiotherapist," Mr. Tawil said. "But we don't know until this moment what is the program there, who is the trainer and what they will provide. We heard it's covered through the Olympic Solidarity but we don't know more details."
Mr. Abdu said even though he knew he would not rank high in the competitions he was proud to be participating. "I'm just jealous - jealous of the others who have more resources," he said quietly.
The Palestinian hopeful began swimming when he was 4 at a pool built by his uncle in their East Jerusalem village, Jabal Mukaber. His cousin, Raed Awisat, went to the Athens Olympics and inspired him to become an Olympic swimmer.
"I thought if Raed Awisat can go to the Olympics and he is only 17 years old then I can too," Mr. Abdu said.
However, he hopes his future takes a different path from that of Mr. Awisat. Both had dreams to study and train abroad, but now Mr. Awisat is a lifeguard.
"He needed a job," Mr. Abdu said. "He couldn't go to university because he didn't finish his matriculation exams because he was preparing for the Olympics. If I had the ability to practise and study abroad I would.
"Here we don't have the capacity to do both. Either you study or you swim."
Mr. Abdu hopes to train and study accounting abroad and return to his village.
In the meantime, his coach just hopes he does his best.
"We know we are not going to achieve any medals," Mr. Tawil said. "But one thing I am so proud of is that despite all the problems we face in every world championship, we leave many swimmers behind us."