GAZA MOTOR BIKERS LOOK FORWARD TO INTERNATIONAL COMPETITION

Gaza City, 10 Jumadil Awwal 1435/11 March 2014 (MINA) – When the whistle blows, they push off and start the race in a scene resembling a sandstorm sweeping around due to the intense spinning of the bike’s wheels on the sandy track.

The motorcycle race tournament is attended by lots of motorbike die-hard of KhanYounis City south of Gaza Strip, according to ALRAY, Palestinian Media Agency report quoted by Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA).

Ahmed Ouda, the leader of the team and the owner of the idea, said that he recognized this sport while he was studying medicine in Egypt and he started to train his team on their favorite hobby.”We are the first team in the Gaza Strip,” he added.

Motor racing and Bike racing is a sport that can be divided into two categories; tarmac road disciplines and off road.

Ouda said that Gaza Bikers team started their exercises since last year amid many obstacles, including lack of fuel, spare parts, safety equipment and ideal track for competitors.

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The open sand dunes south of the Gaza Strip, which were previous Israeli settlements, are considered a club for the team who dream to have an own club to enable them improve their skills in a safety place.

Ouda explains that they practise this hobby despite its dangers and the area that doesn’t have any safety standards. He says it gives them enthusiasm and they could challenge fear

“We want to send our voice to the athletic world that there is a motor-biker team in Gaza defies the odds and aims to participate in international races for motorcycle,” he said.

We face criticism about the game and the risks of practicing as well as the lack of safety measures in the place. But it has a positive effect within the youth community and lots of them follow the true trend brought by this sport, he said, “we started with 33 bikers and now we become more than 100 bikers.

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“Freedom” and “al-Quds”

We meet every Friday to do our brilliant shows receiving warm applause from the audience. Families, the young & the old, they all participate creating an atmosphere of joy, fun and delights he added, sometimes some foreign delegations, who are present in the enclave, come to watch the competition .

Ouda added that each race has a name, we name one “Freedom” to express our dream of liberation and another one was named “al-Quds” to express our love to Jerusalem our capital, the capital of Palestine.

Each rider also holds a name of one Palestinian occupied city such as Haifa, Jafa al-Majdal to keep these names alive in our minds.

Motorcycle race sport does not exist in Gaza strip ,so we decided to give an important position to this sport and aim to make Gaza bikers team able to participate in international races for motorcycle and represent Palestine in this sport.

Tareq Ramadan a biker in the team said that at the beginning.”I feel in difficulty in practicing this game but with practice and training it becomes more easier.”

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He hopes that he can compete outside for Gaza and have an union that presents it in Gaza .

Palestinian youth Mahmoud Wadi said that he comes to watch the race and live the excitement and adventure in an effort to move away the worries of the life.

A lot of sports are affected by the Israeli occupation and the siege imposed on Gaza. There is a lack of infrastructure, equipment and other essentials for Gazans to practise sports. Also the few poor football stadiums that exist were bombed by Israel during its attacks on Gaza in 2009 and 2012 .

The youths still have high hopes of gaining a chance to participate in international competitions despite the many obstacles, challenges and difficulties that face them, mostly due to the closure that turned the Gaza Strip as the largest open-air prison in the world. (T/E01/IR)

Mi’raj Islamic News Agency (MINA)