Palestinian amputee footballers train for 2023 championship in Gaza

Описание: (21 Aug 2023)
GAZA FOOTBALL AMPUTEES

SOURCE: ASSOCIATED PRESS

RESTRICTION SUMMARY:

LENGTH: 2:21

ASSOCIATED PRESS
Gaza City - 16 August 2023
1. Various of members of football team made up of amputees playing football
2. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Ahmed Mousa, director of physical rehabilitation program at ICRC in Gaza:
"ICRC's goal in supporting these activities is to integrate individuals with disabilities into society and to reinforce the idea that they are as productive as any other member of the community. It's also to highlight their abilities, so that government entities and organizations would provide more support for this community in Gaza."
3. Various of match stopped due to injury
4. Various of footballers playing
5. Various of footballer falling and sitting on the ground
6. SOUNDBITE (Arabic) Saad al-Masri, player in Palestinian national soccer team made up of amputees:
"The crutches we use while playing football are not designed for sports. They are meant for walking and we use them to play sports, which poses a significant risk to the players. We hope to have access to appropriate sports equipment in the future, allowing us to play sports (safely)."
7. Various of members of Gaza's amputee football team playing game

STORYLINE:
Racing across the pitch on crutches, jostling for the football and passing it back and forth, Palestinian amputee footballers are gearing up for the 2023 championship in Gaza City.

Five teams made up of 60 players will compete in this season's games.

This championship follows the 2019 league that was supported by the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).

The organization aims to integrate persons with disabilities into Palestinian society, and "reinforce the idea that they are as productive as any other member of the community," says Ahmed Mousa, the director of physical rehabilitation program at ICRC in Gaza.

The journey has not been smooth for the athletes.

Many in Gaza, including children, have lost limbs due to Israeli fire during mass protests that last for month in 2018 and 2019. along the Gaza-Israel border.

Others became amputees as a result of injuries sustained during the wars waged by Israel on Gaza.

The game helps these players cope with the trauma of their injuries and the hardships of living in a crowded territory that has endured four wars and a blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt since Hamas seized power from rival Palestinian forces in 2007.

There are many challenges that come with playing football in the war-battered enclave, including the lack of suitable sports equipment.

"The crutches we use while playing football are not designed for sports. They are meant for walking and we use them to play sports, which poses a significant risk to the players," says Saad al-Masri, a football player.

Despite these obstacles, the teams are in full training and competition mode.

They were formed in 2019 by the ICRC but have seen various periods of interruptions like the halt in activities due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

AP video shot by Mohammad Jahjouh

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