Syria's first table tennis Olympian looking beyond Rio

(Reuters) - Teenager Heba Allejji, Syria's first Olympic table-tennis player, says she wants to show that the sport is alive and well in her country despite the civil war that is driving many fellow players abroad.

The 19-year-old, ranked 667 in the world, was awarded a spot by the International Olympic committee under the tripartite category, which is available to countries that had an average of fewer than eight athletes at the past two Games.