Obstacles jammed into opportunity - 29th April 2022

Ariha bears the battle scars of Syria's bloody civil war, yet amidst the rubble, friends meet for regular parkour jams. Known for developing mental concentration and athletic physique, parkour helps Ariha's 'traceurs' find purpose in lives torn apart by the conflict.

Many hundreds of thousands fled their homes in Aleppo, like traceur Ahmed al-Sawas, now 24.

Ahmed al-Sawas: "I put this team together two and a half years ago. We train in destroyed areas, areas where there has been strikes. Members of the team got in touch with me via social media. We put together a team and started training on buildings because we haven't got dedicated spaces for parkour in Syria."

First devised in a Parisian garden town in the 1990s, parkour's founded on principles of the art of movement, providing techniques to overcome obstacles and traverse urban and rural terrain.

In Syria's 11 year conflict, military assaults have laid waste to great swathes of many cities. Young traceurs like Hadi, born as the war began, have only ever jammed among these fragments of former communities.

Hadi al-Sawas: "I've been practising this sport for six years, along with my brother. We go to destroyed areas and jump from building to building. We do parkour in these destroyed areas. Everything here is destroyed. We do soft moves."

Providing the opportunity to forge something among the ruins, parkour's a source of rejuvenation according to the team in Ariha. Jamming's also a positive outlet, channelling traceurs' imagination and harnessing their future potential.

The inaugural parkour World Championships this October, in Tokyo, illustrates just how far and how fast it's possible to rise from obscurity.

Although Mohammed may not have enough precision techniques to reach Japan, parkour has laid out a path for him to follow.

Mohammed Akash: "It's got adventure, and I love adventure. Yes, it can be dangerous and it comes with pain and injury, but thankfully I've reached a good level now. My dream is to be the best at parkour in Syria."