Issam Khalidi
The Arab Games, also called the Pan Arab
Games PAG, are a regional multisport event held between nations from the Arab
world. They are organized by the Union of Arab National Olympic Committees. The
first Games took place in 1953 in Alexandria, Egypt. Intended to be held every
four years since, political turmoil as well as financial difficulties have made
the event an unstable one. [1]
Just five years after the Nakba
(the catastrophe, refers to the expulsion of 750,000 Palestinian that took place with the establishment of the State of Israel in May 1948), still not recovering from its consequences Palestinians decided
to take part in the first Pan Arab Games in Alexandria in 1953. This was the first competition Palestinians took part after 1948. It was a good opportunity to demonstrate their national identity at the time when they have been denied the right to exist.
Was the Palestinian team qualified after five years of
the Nakba to participate in these games (the first in 1953 and the third in
1961)? Was it capable to compete with its counterparts from Arab countries where
conditions were more stable and sport was relatively better?
First, Palestinian
sports before the Nakba reached a reasonable level of growth especially after
the re-establishment of the (Arab) Palestine Sports Federation in September
1944. Also, the periods 1930s and 1940s generated quite a good number of boxers,
wrestlers and weightlifters who competed with their counterparts in Arab
countries, especially Egypt which compared to other Arab countries had a prominent
athletic prestige. Boxers such as Sanharib Saliba and Adeeb
Al-Dasouqi could reach international level. During the 1948 War Palestinian
sports administrators, coaches and athletes were dispersed. Many evacuated to
Gaza Sector and settled there, where they made sufficient contribution to the growth of
sports. Administrators such as Subhi Farah, Zaki Khayyal, Elias Manneh
and others managed tirelessly to prepare these qualified athletes to take part
in PAG.
Second, being
under the Egyptian administration since early 1950s, Gaza Sector witnessed a
rapid growth in sports. The Egyptian administration established the “Regional
Committee for Youth Care,” which was headed by the General Governor, and
included 25 members, most of whom were sports leaders. The Supreme Committee of
Youth in Cairo supported this regional committee financially and technically.
Several other committees emerged from the regional committee such as national
education and sports committees. [2]
The
national leadership in Egypt has been keen to maintain the Palestinian national
identity. It honestly and consistently sought to keep the name of Gaza Strip as
“Palestine” in all Arab and international forums and events. The name of
Palestine has been officially installed at the remaining part of Palestine.[4] Preserving Palestinian national identity
by Egypt had a major impact on promoting Palestinian sports in Gaza Sector and on inciting the desire to participate in these games under the name Palestine.
At
these games in 1953 in Alexandria Palestine won 5 silver medals and 6 bronze. Nine
countries competing in ten sports took part in these games. Palestine tied with
Iraq in the number of medals. It came in the fourth place after Egypt, Lebanon
and Syria. In football, Palestine lost with Egypt 2:8, and with Libya 5:1.
However, Palestinians excelled in boxing. Akram Arafat and Muhammed Al-Rayyis
won the silver medal while Khalil Al-Afifi won the bronze. [3]
In the second PAG in Beirut Lebanon in 1957
Palestine did not take part. In the third in 1961 in Casablanca, Morocco Palestine won
1 gold medal and 7 bronze. The boxer Omar Hammo was the first Palestinian to
win the gold medal. Muhammed Saeed Abu Shahla won a bronze in weightlifting.
In the fourth PAG in Cairo, Egypt in 1965 Palestine won three
medals one silver and two bronze. One of the reasons in the decline in winning
more medals was due to the participation of new countries such as Algeria and
Sudan, and the remarkable progress that Morocco and Iraq achieved at the sport
level. At these games Palestine defeated Lebanon 1:0, and Oman 1:0.
The center of gravity of the Palestinian
sports movement had been moving from one place to another due to the dispersion
and the conditions the Palestinian people and their leadership were going
through. After the Ailul (September) War of 1970 between the
Palestine Liberation Organization and the Jordanian Armed Forces, the
headquarters of the Supreme
Council for Youth Care (established in Jordan in 1969, in
1974 it was renamed Supreme Council
for Youth and Sports SCYS) was moved from Jordan to
Lebanon. It remained there until
the Israeli invasion of Lebanon in 1982 and the destruction of the Palestinian
sports infrastructure there.
Palestine
took part in the fifth PAG in 1976 in Damascus, Syria. However, it did not get
any medal. Of course, the civil war in Lebanon had a major impact on decline on
the growth of sports movement. This also proves that Palestinian sports was
more advanced in Gaza Sector than in other places of the Diaspora.
In 1985, in
Rabat, Morocco Palestine took part and won 1 silver medal and 3 bronze. For the
first time in these games a boxer from the West Bank, Khalil Zaheda takes part
and wins a bronze medal. In 1992 in Damascus, Palestinians won 9 medals: 1
gold, 2 silver and 6 bronze. In 1997 in Beirut they won only 4 bronze medals. In
Amman in 1999 Palestinian team won one silver medal and nine bronze. One of
these bronze medals was in football. In Algeria in 2004 they won one silver
medal and one bronze. In Cairo, Egypt in 2007 Palestine won only three bronze
medals.
As for the twelfth PAG
in Doha, Qatar in 2011, Palestine participated with the largest delegation
consisting of 161 athletes and administrators in 16 games. The delegation was headed by Daoud al-Mitwalli. The body builder
Peter Bizanti won the only gold medal, while other athletes and teams won 2
silver and 5 bronze medals.
In the games of 1953, 1961 and 1965 the majority of
the Palestinian athletic team was from Gaza Sector. While the games of 1976, 1985
and 1992 athletes were from Lebanon, Syria and Iraq. However, after the establishment
of the Palestinian Authority most of the team was from Gaza and West Bank.
Despite the small number of medals
Palestine got in these games (1953 – 2011), its participation had a moral
significance reflected in highlighting the name of Palestine and demonstrating
the Palestinian national identity in the region and sustaining the bonds of national brotherhood and friendship between Palestinian and Arab youth. In addition, it reflected Arab solidarity with the issue of Palestine. At the same time, this participation was a
catalyst for Palestinian sports, and a tool for assessing athletes' performance.
It is difficult to determine which of these
participations was the best, and whether obtaining this number of medals (1953
– 2011: 5 gold, 29 silver and 60 bronze) is an indicator of sports growth or
not. It should be borne in mind that Palestine’s participation in these games
came in different political conditions that had their characteristics and impacts
on sports development. It is known that Palestinian sports have been and still
suffering from dispersion. Since 1948, center of gravity of Palestinian sports movement had moved from Jaffa to Gaza, Jordan, Lebanon, Syria, Tunis, Gaza and
ended in Ramallah. Also, we must take in
consideration that the number of Arab countries taking part in these games has
been increased which affected the sharing of the medals. However, at the end
what matters is Palestine's participation not the medals number.
References
[4] Ghazi Al-Sourani, Sector
Gaza 1948 – 1993, A Historical Social Study. 15 November 2011. Rita’ Ghaza 1948 – 1993, Dirasa Tarikhiyya Ijtima’yya.
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