Issam Khalidi
Since October
2023, athletes and sports infrastructure have been impacted by the genocidal
assault that Israel has inflicted Gaza’s people and its built environment. In
addition to the athletes and coaches who have been killed, sports clubs and
arenas have been destroyed, and stadiums used for mass arrests and mass graves.
Among the reasons
I hesitated to write this article was the fact that there is a sense of
ambivalence among many (a mixture of pessimism and optimism) regarding Israel's
violation of the ceasefire, the return of the genocidal war in Gaza, and the
continuing suffering of Palestinians there.
Will it be possible
to rebuild the destroyed and damaged sports infrastructure? And will sports in
the Gaza Strip ever be the same as it was before the deaths of more than four
one thousand athletes and sports leaders and administrators, in addition to the
destruction of the infrastructure?
The answers to these
questions are challenging, and speculating about the Gaza Strip’s political
future is particularly difficult at this stage. There are several factors that
contribute to the restoration of sports to their former states, including the
political situation, security, stability, and the mechanism and pace of the
reconstruction process.
Sports
restoration is directly related to the restoration of the educational, health,
economic, social, and cultural sectors, and all other sectors as well. Every
single one of these sectors as well as the sports sector in particular will
have its very own unique characteristics as it recovers and returns to the
pre-genocidal war state. Additionally, it is necessary to recall the
destruction that was caused by the occupation during its aggressions of
2008-2009, 2012, 2014, and 2021, during which the sports infrastructure was
specifically targeted for destruction by the occupation.
It is necessary to rely on certain facts (and
some data) on the ground to make predictions concerning the future of
Palestinian sports in the Gaza Strip. There are several negative aspects to
these facts that raise a number of concerns for us:
First,
it is imperative to acknowledge the fact that there has been a massive
destruction of sports infrastructure, such as stadiums, sports facilities,
buildings, and other structures, over the past two years. Approximately 90
percent of the sporting infrastructure in Gaza has been destroyed as a result
of the genocidal war in Gaza, according to the Palestine Football Association. This is equal to the overall destruction in the
sector, which is estimated to be 92 percent. The losses in the sports sector
are estimated to be in the hundreds of millions of dollars.
Second, there was the martyrdom of about a thousand athletes and sports administrators. When compared to the total number of athletes and administrators in this sector, this is a significant number.
Third, athletes will also need to be capable
of recovering their skills and fitness components (such as strength, speed, endurance, flexibility, and agility), which have been interrupted due to interruptions in training and competition. Moreover,
they also suffer from physical and psychological injuries and traumas that will
certainly
It is well known
that school sports represent a vital part of the Palestinian sports movement
and are a very important part of it. According to Palestinian data, Israel's
genocidal war has also destroyed over 200 government facilities, and 136 universities
and schools (particularly UNRWA schools whose playing fields and grounds were destroyed).
Thus, it is expected
that the recovery of the education sector in the Gaza Strip will have a
positive impact on the revival of the sports movement as well. Many prominent
Palestinian athletes have emerged from the school sports scene, which is worth
noting since it is the breeding ground for Palestinian sports, from which many
prominent Palestinian athletes were born.
It is still true
that there are some positive facts and aspects that can be relied upon and that
give us a feeling of optimism:
Among the many characteristics that distinguish our people is their ability to recover from the harsh blows dealt to them. This is exactly what happened after the Nakba (catastrophe of 1948), when the Gaza Strip became the focal point of the Palestinian sports movement during this period, when it became the center of gravity for the Palestinian sports movement after the Nakba.
It is also worth noting that sports have a
long history in the Gaza Strip, with roots stretching back decades ago.
In addition, Israel’s destruction of
Palestinian sports may inspire Palestinian athletes to compete in the future
and fight in the sports arena as means of proving themselves. Certainly they
will work hard to achieve the success they desire. In spite of the genocide,
Palestinian youth still have desires, hopes, and ambitions for the future.
Finally, it should
be noted that at the end of the day, the Arab and international community's
solidarity and support in response to the suffering of the Palestinian people
will have a significant impact on the rebuilding of Palestinian sport and its
infrastructure in Palestine as a whole.
It is worth noting that Palestine's FIFA
ranking was 191 in 1999 (one year after joining in 1998), rose to 73 in 2018,
and now stands at 94. Furthermore, despite this war of annihilation, the
Palestinian national football team reached the second round for the first time
in its history of the 2023 AFC Asian Cup in Qatar, as well as reaching the
third (decisive) round of the World Cup qualifiers for the first time in its
history.
The Palestinian delegation to the 2024
Olympics was the biggest ever. The Palestinian Taekwondo player Omar Ismail
Hantouli qualified for the Olympics through qualifying and ranking points,
becoming only the second Palestinian athlete in history to have made it to the
Olympics through qualifying and ranking points.
In October 2024,
Marian Bsharat became the first Palestinian to win the World Karate Championship
in the + 61 kg final title. Initially, it was expected that the Palestinian
football team would be taking part in the World Cup in 2026. Unfortunately,
Palestine lost to Oman, who scored the winning goal in the 97th minute of the
game.
Restoring sports to their former state is a challenging task, and requires efforts, commitments, and favorable conditions to be implemented successfully. There can be no doubt that the people of Gaza, who thwarted the ethnic cleansing plan and performed miracles through their steadfastness and heroism, will be able to rebuild their lives and revive their sporting activities as soon as conditions become more stable.
In addition, it is difficult to separate the Gaza Strip from the West Bank as well. This is due to the fact that sports in the Strip are an integral part of the Palestinian sports scene in general.
After the
occupation ends, the goal is to bring all sports in the Gaza Strip and the West
Bank under one sports administration and one unified national government. It
has now become imperative to reject any form of division among Palestinians after so much blood
has been shed, so many lives have been lost, and so many sacrifices have been
At the end, sport
may not return to its former glory. However, as demonstrated throughout
history, every time Israel attempts to destroy the Palestinian people, they
come back stronger and more resilient than before.
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