( CNN ) -- Woroud Sawalha knows she wo n't win a medal at the London Olympics . She is n't likely to get beyond the first round of the 800 meters . But for the 20-year-old and her three teammates , just competing under the Palestinian flag is a source of pride . The appearance itself is controversial : the U.N. does not recognize a Palestinian state but athletes have been allowed to compete under a Palestinian flag by the International Olympic Committee and soccer 's ruling body FIFA since 1996 and 1998 respectively . `` It means a lot for me that I am female and representing Palestine , '' she told CNN 's Aiming For Gold . `` I will represent my hometown Asira ash-Shamaliya , Palestine and my university . '' Asira ash-Shamaliya is a village of fewer than 10,000 inhabitants in the northern West Bank , where protests and tear gas form part of everyday life in a region still fighting for independence from Israel after two decades of struggle . Sawalha , who will be immediately recognizable by her black headscarf , long-sleeved top and long trousers , knows that when she steps up to the line in London , she wo n't just be representing herself . `` This will reflect on my female friends and on sports in Palestine , '' she said . `` Maybe the view of girls will change from practicing sports in a more professional way and more freely in front of people . '' The International Olympic Committee is hopeful that the 2012 Games will be the first to feature female athletes on every team . Three teams have never sent women . Palestinians have competed in the Olympics under their flag since 1996 , sending their first female athlete in 2000 . However , Sawalha believes the fact that she was only told six months ago that she would be going to London is a sign of how lightly women 's sport is taken in the Palestinian territories . She had her first taste of top-level international competition earlier this year at the world indoor championships in Istanbul . She clocked two minutes 51.87 seconds in her heat for a personal best that was still more than 53 seconds slower than the gold medal-winning time . Given her lack of preparation and the scant training resources available in her homeland , Sawalha knows a medal is beyond her , so her target is to further improve her personal best . `` Miracles do happen , and with God 's help I will hopefully get a good result , '' she said . `` Since they selected me for the Olympics , my running time has gone from four minutes to just under three , so I 've seen a big improvement . '' Training on pot-holed roads in Gaza , dodging cars and horses and carts , Bahaa al-Farra knows that only so much improvement is possible . Like Sawalha , the 400-meter runner must rely on an invitation from the IOC to compete in London because neither has reached the required qualifying standard . When he is n't running , al-Farra works out in a dingy public gym with shabby white concrete walls . `` I need a proper track to train on , '' he said . `` At the moment I just run on the roads or on sand . Also , proper starting blocks are unavailable in Gaza . '' So when he arrives in London , he 'll not only have the daunting prospect of a first Olympic Games to consider but he 'll also have to quickly get accustomed to unfamiliar conditions . `` Hopefully , the lack of training tools wo n't affect me , and I can prove to the world that we can compete even without them , '' he said . For al-Farra , competing in London wo n't leave him completely fulfilled . He hopes it is only the start of a long athletics career . `` My dream is to become a world-known runner and compete with world champions in overseas competitions and hopefully I can achieve my dream in the near future , '' he said . `` My dream is to do something for Palestine and show the world that Palestine deserves to live and stand on the podium . ''
Four Palestinian athletes will compete at the 2012 Olympics in London . Woroud Sawalha , 20 , will take part in the women 's 800 meters event . Bahaa al-Farra , a 21-year-old from Gaza , will run in the men 's 400 meters . Al-Farra has no proper track to train on , and works out in a public gym .