ISLAMABAD: The Palestinian baseball team, which is currently in Pakistan to participate in the 15th West Asia Cup, aims to uplift the Palestinian people through sports, its members said on Friday, as they called for “freedom of movement” in the occupied Palestinian territories.
The seven-nation event, organized by the Pakistan Baseball Federation (PBF), is being held at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad from January 27 till February 1. Apart from the host Pakistan, teams from Palestine, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh, India and Afghanistan are participating in the event.
For most of the Palestinians, nothing comes easily, be it survival in the occupied territories or fulfilling their aspirations. However, the Palestinian baseball players, who are making their international debut, say they are “excited” to be a part of the tournament.
“We are using sports to uplift our people and show that there is humanity in our people. Our people deserve to be represented well, you know, our people deserve to have sports, freedom of movement,” Nader Ihmoud, a second baseman and designated hitter, told Arab News.
Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories since 1948 has been a major issue and has had consequences for the Palestinians in every field.
To participate in the West Asia Cup, Palestinian players from the Gaza Strip and the United States came together to form a team. The squad, which was formed two and a half years ago but has been facing difficulties in practicing together, was invited to the tournament by the Baseball Federation of Asia.
“Most of our players are in the US and half in Gaza and imagine we can’t practice together. We should be able to practice together wherever we need but we can’t because of the occupation does what it does,” said Ihmoud, who lives in the US.
“You can ask Gaza people [teammates] how hard it was for them to come to this tournament. It should be very easy for me to travel to Gaza and play with my teammates but it’s not.”
Tariq Suboh, the Palestinian catcher, said with this tournament the team want to do their part to put Palestine on the international sports stage with an impact. “We want the world to know our community for athletics,” he maintained.
“The players have not been able to properly practice because of the community’s financial constraints and distances [from one state to another] but together we are ready to showcase our passion,” Suboh added.
“We hope this [tournament] is the start of a bright future of baseball in Palestine.”
The PBF has partnered with Baseball United, first-ever professional baseball league that helps develop the game across the Middle East and South Asia, to host the West Asia Cup, an official World Baseball Softball Confederation (WBSC) tournament.
In a country where cricket is the most popular sport — played, watched and loved by people — Shah has been carrying forward the legacy of his father, the late Syed Khawar Shah, to promote baseball by representing Pakistan in several international tournaments.
The baseball governing body, founded in 1992, has been conducting several international tournaments including Asian Baseball Cup and Asian Baseball Championship.
In October last year, the Pakistani team represented the country at World Baseball Classic (WBC) Qualifiers in Panama City, bringing a game in spotlight with the rare participation, but lost the opening match against Argentina.
This was also the first time Pakistan scored a run in the WBC since its participation in 2016.
Speaking to Arab News, PBF President Syed Fakhar Ali Shah said the sports body aims to help participants play an international league being organized by Baseball United in Dubai in November.
“They [Baseball United] are saying they might give $5,000 to each player if they join the league,” Shah added.