Palestinian sports new direction

Mohammed Jamil Abdelkader Ramallah – Imtiaz al-Maghrabi Mohammed Jamil Abdelkader, President of the Arab Union of Sports Press has claimed that Palestinian sport has evolved significantly over the past four years. Speaking to Arabstoday, Abdelkader said that there had been a revival in sporting culture among the Palestinian people. "In the past, Palestinian sports were a burden on Arab sports, but now they are an essential part of the Arab sports culture. The head of sport, Jibril Rajoub has revived Palestinian sport and it is now competing with Arab countries," he said. Abdelkader added that he was happy with the increasing number of Palestinian women participating in sports, even though more can be done. "The first time I went to Palestine was to attend a football game for women and there were 12 teams involved. In one of those games, there were 15,000 people in the crowd. I did not see 15,000 watching the women's game in the recent Olympics," he added. Abdelkader is aware of the social and cultural obstacles women face when they decide to take part in sports. He feels the participation of women across the Arab world varies depending on the facilities available. "Men have a bigger presence in Arab sports than women, because in some countries, women cannot take part in sports. Then, in other countries like Tunisia or Morocco, there has been significant progress for women in the sporting world," he explained. The head of the Arab Union of Sports Press revealed that a new Palestinian sports website is under construction, with the aim being to encourage and promote Palestinian sporting activity.