From Devastated Stadiums to Athlete Deaths: The Compelling Reasons Behind the Palestinian Olympic Chief’s Ban on Israeli Athletes
In a push against the atrocities taking place in Palestine, the President of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Jibril Rajoub, made a major decision. He said that Israeli athletes should have no place in Paris, and it was the first time ever he explicitly did so.
Such a demand did not merely stem from the ongoing atrocities; it also was made because of how Israel broke the Olympic Charter, a collection of rules governing the Olympic Games.
Let us take a look at some of the reasons behind the demand:
Destruction of Sports Infrastructure
Beyond the deaths of thousands of Palestinians, the ongoing attacks have also resulted in mass destruction of prominent buildings. So far, piles of rubble have replaced what used to be massive stadiums overtaking Gaza. According to Rajoub, “all of Gaza’s sports facilities have been destroyed.” The destruction was relentless and happened on more than one occasion.
The 2008 Gaza Massacre
Back in 2008, in the span of 3 weeks, beyond the destruction of over 46,000 homes and the death of more than 1000 Palestinians, Israeli forces demolished 15 sports facilities while also killing 11 Palestinian athletes.
Fast forward to four years later, two of Gaza’s largest sports arenas, Yarmouk and Palestine Stadium, were completely demolished.
2014 Gaza War
During yet another attack by Israel, more than 30 sports facilities suffered varying degrees of damage. Along with that, 16 Palestinian athletes were among the approximately 2,000 Palestinians killed.
The 2023 – 2024 Genocide
Beyond these attacks, nothing can compare to the unprecedented toll that Gaza faced since October 7, 2023.
With more than 37,000 killed, it is one of the deadliest attacks on Palestine thus far. Along with the staggering death toll, the overall destruction was unfathomable, leading to the decimation of Gaza’s sports infrastructure.
So far, most of Gaza’s major football stadiums and sports facilities have been partially damaged or destroyed. Some of the destroyed stadiums include Beit Hanoun Municipal Stadium and Al Hilal Sporting Club Stadium.
Heinous Acts Within Israeli Sport Stadiums
These stadiums were not merely sites of destruction but also home to the most heinous acts of humiliation:
The Atrocities of Yarmouk Stadium
What used to be one of the oldest stadiums in Gaza, dating back to 1952, turned into a makeshift internment camp for Palestinian detainees. On December 26, 2023, horrific footage from within the camp surfaced.
Men, women, and children were gathered, stripped down to their underwear, and blindfolded as armed soldiers and tanks circled the field.
More footage surfaced of tanks patrolling the fields and blindfolded men and women forced to kneel by the Israeli flag while blindfolded. With it being a camp, the soldiers also decided to remove any semblance of its past identity of being a stadium by leveling the pitch with tanks and bulldozers.
According to international law, detainees must not be exposed to unnecessary humiliation.
Death & Health Deterioration of Athletes
Along with the destruction and humiliation, the death toll of athletes is also staggering in amount. So far, more than 300 athletes, referees, and sports officials have been killed.
The Soccer Community
Among those killed were Palestinian soccer player Ahmad Abu al-Atta, who was killed with his family because of an Israeli airstrike that struck in May. He was a 34-year-old soccer player who played as a defender for the Gaza Strip team Al-Ahly Gaza.
Mohammed Barakat, another soccer player, was killed in an Israeli airstrike in Khan Younis in March. Along with soccer players, referees were also killed, including FIFA International Assistant Referee Mohammed Khattab, who was killed along with his wife and four children in an Israeli assault in the Gazan neighborhood of Deir Al Balah in February.
The Olympian Community
One of the more recent devastating deaths of an athlete was Majed Abu Maraheel, who was a long-distance runner and the first-ever Palestinian athlete to compete in the Olympics. He ended up dying not because of airstrikes or attacks but rather because of not having access to medical treatment.
Israeli Athletes Demeaning Comments
Along with the list of atrocities, Rajoub also made sure to mention that several Israeli athletes directed hate towards Palestine. So far, Peter Paltchik, the Israeli athlete, will compete at his second Olympics in Paris. It is said that the athlete is “encouraging” the Israeli army.
During a press conference, Rajoub held up a printout of social media posts shared by Paltchik. The posts showed photos of several signed missiles accompanied by the words: “From me to you with pleasure.”
Rajoub could not stand such an act and went on to tell DW that “He is signing missiles and sending them as a gift to the children of Gaza.”
All these reasons combined led Rajoub to take a stand and speak up against Israel’s participation in the Olympics. Thus far, no decisions have been made concerning his request.
