Christina Assi and Dylan Collins in Paris, France on July 18, 2024. (Credit: AFP)
BEIRUT — AFP photographer Christina Assi, who was severely injured in an Israeli attack in South Lebanon last October, will carry the Olympic Flame on July 21, in Vincennes, France, according to AFP.
Assi said that she will be carrying the flame to "pay tribute to those who have fallen" while working as journalists, reported AFP.
On Oct. 13, the Israeli army struck an area where journalists were positioned and reporting. The attack killed Reuters journalist Issam Abdallah and severely injured AFP journalist Christina Assi, videographer Dylan Collins and others.
Collins will accompany Assi on Sunday in Vincennes, AFP added.
"Carrying the Olympic Flame is an emotional experience, particularly after surviving a targeted attack while I was on assignment. My story is just one among many others in a year that has claimed the lives of over a hundred journalists," said Christina Assi.
"By bearing this torch, we honor the sacrifice of those who have fallen and draw attention to the urgent need to protect those who continue to report despite the mental and physical toll."
Her colleague, Collins, stated: "It is an honor to carry the Olympic Flame alongside my colleague Christina Assi, nearly a year after we were targeted by the Israeli army at the Lebanese border. It’s a miracle that we are still alive."
In July 2023, Collins had been injured in a drone attack near Bakhmut in Ukraine.
"We are carrying the Flame to pay tribute to all the friends and colleagues we have lost this past year, to all the journalists killed or wounded while simply doing their job," the 36-year-old American journalist added.
Pierre Galy, AFP's head of sport, stated, "When AFP was asked to carry the Olympic Flame, we thought of Christina, whose courage and tenacity are admired by everyone at the agency."
"Having her carry this symbol of peace sends a powerful message for her and for all journalists affected in the line of duty."
A report, published by the Netherlands Organization for Applied Scientific Research (TNO) in March found that an Israeli tank crew killed Abdallah by firing two shells at a clearly identified group of journalists and then "likely" opened fire on them with a heavy machine gun in an attack that lasted 1 minute and 45 seconds.