Upon the invitation of İbrahim Kalın, who is an advisor to President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and presidential spokesman, Palestinian long distance runner Mohammed AlQadi will participate in the Istanbul Marathon.
AlQadi announced on his official Twitter page that he would run the marathon, to be held on Nov. 12, bearing the Palestinian and Turkish flags.
“Come and run in Turkey. Raise the Palestinian flag. Enjoy the beauty of the Turkish landscape. Be our guest,” tweeted Kalın.
AlQadi responded in kind, accepting the invitation and thanking the presidential spokesman.
“Next is Istanbul Marathon,” AlQadi tweeted. He has run nine international marathons in the last two years. He was recently unable to run the Chicago marathon because he was denied entry to the U.S.
AlQadi runs carrying the Palestinian flag to spread awareness of the Palestinian plight.
The Istanbul Marathon is an international athletics event organized by the metropolitan municipality in Istanbul. It has been held annually since 1979.
