Tokyo, MINA – Amid wounds that have not yet healed, Palestine came to Nagoya not merely to compete for medals.
They carry the name of a nation longing for independence and prove that as long as there is a step, hope has not been extinguished.
Palestine sent 108 people in its delegation to the 20th Asian Games in Nagoya, Japan. Of that number, 67 are athletes who will compete in 19 sports. This figure is certainly not just a statistic, but the face of the resilience of a nation that refuses to give up.
Chairman of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, Jibril Rajoub, in the contingent’s farewell ceremony, delivered a stirring message: “While the Palestinian people face war at the geographic, demographic, and political levels, members of this delegation bear a national responsibility that goes beyond sports competition. They are Palestine’s ambassadors on the grand stage of Asia.”
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He emphasized that Palestine’s participation in the Asian Games is not just about winning or losing. “Under the conditions, challenges, and pressures imposed on the Palestinian people, being able to participate is already an achievement,” he said.
Palestine did not come merely as a complement. In several sports, they showed serious potential. Among them is baseball. For the first time in history, Palestine qualified for the Asian Games baseball tournament. The team is ranked fifth in Asia and is in Group A along with Japan, China, and the Philippines. This is certainly an extraordinary achievement for a country that has only recently built its baseball tradition.
The next sport is Modern Pentathlon, an Olympic sport consisting of five different disciplines (fencing, freestyle swimming, show jumping, shooting, and cross-country running). Two brothers, Abdullah Abu Shabab and Omar Abu Shabab, became Palestine’s pioneers in modern pentathlon.
They both underwent intensive training camps in Egypt for four months. Omar managed to reach the semifinals and placed 12th, a new national record. This result raised the Palestinian national team’s ranking in Asia from 11th to 8th, opening the path to the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
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Triathlon, or three sports in one race (swimming, cycling, and running), is also contested by Palestinian athletes. Abdulrahman Tantash (23 years old) left Gaza six months after the war began. He took refuge in Qatar but never stopped training. He is now ranked 11th in Asia in triathlon. Every pedal of his bicycle, every step of his run, is an offering to the land he left behind.
There is also boxing. In the men’s 70 kg class, Mohammed Issa competes for victory.
Japan’s Ambassador to Palestine, Katsuhiko Araki, attended the contingent’s farewell ceremony. He stated that Palestine’s participation in the Asian Games helps strengthen the bridge of friendship and exchange between the two countries.
Palestine may not yet be in the ranks of gold medalists. But they have already won something far more valuable: recognition of existence, dignity, and the right to dream.
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They come from a destroyed Gaza, from a West Bank that continues to be attacked, from endless displacement. They carry the name of a nation that has struggled for decades for independence. And in Nagoya, they run, hit, swim, and fight, not only for themselves but for every Palestinian child who still dreams of freedom.[]
Mi’raj News Agency (MINA)
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