JAKARTA: A Palestinian weightlifter wept as he belatedly learned of his young sister’s tragic death from illness — a day after he competed in the Asian Games.
Hani Al-Qassas’s family and team kept the news from him until after his appearance at the Games, the first international competition he had permission to attend.
His five-year-old sister, who had fallen into a coma, died in Gaza three days before he was due to take his turn in the 77kg class.
“They did not tell me until a day after my participation,” a tearful Qassas told AFP.
His coach Hossam Hamada, crying too, said he was the first to find out.
“The news had a big impact on me because I had a similar situation with my sister,” said Hamada, who also comes from Gaza, where medical facilities are generally poor.
“I tried to hide the news from Hani, as far as I could.”
But Qassas, 23, realized something was going on. “Their behavior with me was unnatural. I told them ‘What is happening? Tell me!’,” he said.
It was the first time that Qassas had left the Gaza Strip to take part in a championship.
In 2017 he was invited to compete in the Islamic Solidarity Games in Baku, but the Israeli authorities denied him permission.
“We were always tormented by travel, and we were always expecting to turn back because of the permits,” Qassas said, explaining it took 15 hours just to make it to Amman, where he boarded the plane to Indonesia.
His cousin Ahmed Al-Qassas, an 85kg-class weightlifter, made the same arduous journey to get to the Games.
The two men said they were afraid war would break out in the Gaza Strip, preventing them from attending the regional Olympics.
“Our exit from Gaza is an achievement, in previous competitions we did not even bother trying because we knew we could not exit,” Ahmed Al-Qassas, 21, told AFP at the athletes’ village.
In Gaza, the athletes suffer from a lack of financial support and facilities.
“We train in a gymnasium for the Palestine club. There is nothing, it’s like a ruin,” Ahmed said.
“Many in Gaza ask us why we play the game in these circumstances and without material gain, but we are like poets who write for nothing.”
Palestinian weightlifter heartbroken over sister’s death
Palestinian weightlifter heartbroken over sister’s death
- Hani Al-Qassas’s family and team kept the news from him until after his appearance at the Games
- His five-year-old sister died in Gaza three days before he was due to take his turn in the 77kg class
Perth Scorchers win sixth BBL title after trouncing Sydney Sixers
- The Australia squad will fly to Pakistan to play three 20-over matches
- It will prepare Australia for opening T20 World Cup fixture against Ireland
PERTH: Perth Scorchers raced to their sixth Big Bash League title on Sunday with an emphatic six-wicket victory over Sydney Sixers in the final at Perth Stadium.
Earning hosting rights after crushing the Sixers in a qualifier last week, the Scorchers bowled first and bowled their six-time Grand Final rivals out for a paltry 132 in 20 overs as pacemen David Payne and Jhye Richardson combined for six wickets.
With 15 balls remaining in their reply, the hosts reached 133-4 anchored by a 43-ball 44 from Mitch Marsh.
“It feels like a weight has been lifted off our shoulders, we have high expectations, and to be able to deliver on those expectations is really satisfying,” said Scorchers captain Ashton Turner.
The table-topping Scorchers started their chase in audacious fashion when Marsh, Australia’s T20 captain, pulled the first ball for six.
His opening partner Finn Allen, the season’s top run-scorer with 466, got the better of quick Mitchell Starc in a 19-run fourth over, bringing the crowd to their feet with a scooped six into the second tier.
With rain threatening, the Scorchers powered ahead at nearly 10 an over until a spectacular one-handed catch by Jack Edwards off Starc dismissed Allen for 36.
Seamer Sean Abbott accounted for Aaron Hardie (five) and Marsh, but Josh Inglis (29 not out) saw the Scorchers over the line with a majestic six over long-off.
Earlier, the Perth crowd of 55,018 roared in delight when Sixers’ drawcard Steve Smith, who averaged 60 in the tournament at a strike rate of 168 yet finds himself out of T20 World Cup reckoning, dejectedly departed for 24 when all-rounder Hardie reviewed for lbw.
Fortunate to survive three missed run outs in the space of five balls, skipper Moises Henriques was caught for 24 off the medium pace of Payne, who ended with 3-18.
Fast bowler Mahli Beardman, on the cusp of international selection, closed out the innings with two wickets and a run out in the final over.
The Australia squad will fly to Pakistan for three 20-over matches in preparation for their first T20 World Cup fixture against Ireland in Colombo on February 11.
