Updated

The Syrians don't mention the war at the Olympics.

"We never talk about this," said Bayan Jumah, a swimmer from Aleppo, a city wracked by violence for nearly two weeks during one of the most significant battles of a 17-month uprising against the government of Bashar Assad.

Assad is urging his armed forces to step up the fight against rebels in Aleppo and the U.N. reported a significant escalation in the civil war, with the military using warplanes to fire on opposition fighters.

Jumah is in touch with her family and worries about them just "a little bit, but not so much, because in the center there is nothing. So it's ok," she said after competing in the heats of the 100-meters freestyle at the London Games Wednesday. She did not qualify for the semifinals.