A large graffiti mural has been unveiled on the Koopvaardijlaan in the Dampoort area of Ghent in honour of the athlete Bashir Abdi. Earlier this month Bashir Abdi took the silver medal in the marathon race at the Olympic Games in Paris. The mural has been paid for by a commercial sponsor. A second work will be unveiled soon elsewhere in the city.
The mural is the work of the artiest Straatletters (street letters). The sponsor that paid for the mural says that after taking silver at the Olympic the Ghent athlete Bashir Abdi deserves congratulations in the city he has called home for many years. The mural (photo above) is on a wall just in front of the large chimney at the former Dampoort power station.
The sponsors plan a second mural in honour of Bashir Abdi on the Drongensesteenweg just a stone’s throw away from the athlete’s former home. It will also be close to the Blaarmeersen recreation park and the Bourgoyen nature reserve where Bashir Abdi trains when he is in Belgium.
Bahir Abdi has lived in Ghent for many years. Recently he and his family moved to a new home in the Ghent suburb of Zwijnaarde. The athlete also offers his support to projects to encourage underprivileged children to practice sport more often.