The Palestinians took part in the Olympics for the first time at the 1996 Games in Atlanta. They also sent a team to Sydney in 2000 and Athens in 2004.
The Olympic torch: Peace and controversy
But funding sport with the sums required to raise the level of Palestinian athletes so that they are good enough to vie for a medal is out of the question at the moment.
Gaza's economy has been in meltdown since Hamas Islamists seized control of the territory and Israel tightened a blockade, regularly launching raids which it says target militants who fire rockets at the Jewish state.
Masri's own house was struck by a militants' rocket aimed at nearby Israeli towns. It damaged walls and smashed windows, but the runner and his family escaped unharmed.
Advertisement
