FEATURE: Syrian athletes in the spotlight at London Olympics By Christian Hollmann, dpa

London (dpa) - The snapshots from London that appeared on Facebook quickly turned into embarrassment for cyclist Omar Hasanin and were hastily removed.

The colourful images from his Olympic adventure and the attractions of the British host capital were too much of a contradiction to the bloodshed at home in his native Syria.

There‘s hardly a word of sympathy for the victims of the civil war or criticism of the regime of President Bashar Assad to be heard from members of the Syrian Olympic team.

"We don‘t talk about it," said swimmer Byan Jumah. " I‘m not interested in politics."

The 18-year-old‘s family comes from Aleppo, Syria‘s largest city, which has been at the centre of major clashes between opposition fighters and Assad‘s troops.

But the teenager said she is not worried about her relatives.

"Nothing‘s happened," she said during training at the Aquatics Centre.

Jumah and her fellow athletes are reluctant to discuss what is going on at home.

"We‘re not here to talks about politics, but about sport," growled boxer Wessam Slamana. If the reporters get too persistent, the athletes‘ handlers move in.

A majority of the 28-member Syrian delegation appear to be Assad loyalists. The entire Olympic team supports the government and the president, according to track-and-field athlete Ghfran Almouhamad.

The unrest in the country has not affected their preparations for the Games, Almouhamad told dpa.

Politics engulfed 19-year-old showjumper Ahmed Saber Hamcho, who failed to make it into the Olympic individual final on Wednesday and was bombarded with critical questions from journalists after his elimination.

Hamcho is the son of Mohamed Hamcho, one of the richest men in Syria and a financial backer of Assad.

Mohamed Hancho and the Syrian National Olympic Committee head, General Mowaffak Joumaa, have both been banned from entering Britain for the Games.

There were even rumours the showjumper was related to the Assad clan, something he denied.

"I have no family relationship," he told reporters. "I represent only my country and they should be proud of us, of athletes who are representing Syria."

Before the Games, the London-based Hamcho was quoted as saying he did not think the Syrian regime was guilty of human rights crimes, as claimed by rights groups.

Delegation chief Baher Chataja admitted that he was concerned about his family in Aleppo, but could not be persuaded to fault the regime.

Swimmer Azad Albarazi was more forthcoming.

"It breaks my heart to hear of people dying, houses being blown up. It‘s not what I want to think about in the Olympic Village. Here it‘s all about peace," said the 24-year-old.

He told the magazine Sports Illustrated of his hope for an end to the killing and changes in the country.

Albarazi does not have to fear reprisals for his forthright views. He lives with his family in California and holds dual US-Syrian citizenship, which means he could even swim for the United States.

He has witnessed the violence and suffering in Syria only on television. dpa hc aer mis amh