TOKYO: Lt. Gen. Jibril Rajoub, the President of the Palestine Olympic Committee, has sent an open letter “in the name of Palestine and its athletes” to ask the sporting world and the world at large to help stop the genocide in Gaza.
Rajoub said he was sending his message, which was also sent to Arab News Japan, “from the heart of a wounded Palestine… from amidst the rubble of our stadiums and the wreckage of our hopes” after “718 days of a relentless, merciless war of annihilation.”
“This is a final alarm bell for all of humanity, and that includes our global sports family,” Rajoub wrote, asking for help in stopping “a genocide that is uprooting my people from their land, their history, and their future.”
He reminded his readers that those in the Olympic movement swore to protect, to place sport “at the service of the harmonious development of humanity,” and to promote “a peaceful society concerned with the preservation of human dignity.”
Where is that dignity for the Palestinian athlete, he asked, reminding the world that over 1,000 athletes have been killed, while thousands more are wounded, maimed, or disabled. Others, he says are “in the darkness of prisons,” while tens of thousands are displaced.
“Can the Olympic Movement, our movement, stand idly by while the most fundamental human right – the right to life – is violated against its own members? The Israeli sports system has not merely been silent; it has been an active participant. It brazenly integrates settlement clubs – built illegally on my land – into its national leagues, in a flagrant violation of international law and our own Olympic Charter.”
In a final plea, Jibril Rajoub says: “Show the world that our Olympic values are not merely empty words on paper, but a living commitment to our shared humanity. Show them that there is no place for double standards, only for the rule of justice and fairness, without distinction or discrimination.”
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Palestine Olympic chief writes open letter pleading for help to stop Gaza genocide
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Palestine Olympic chief writes open letter pleading for help to stop Gaza genocide
- “This is a final alarm bell for all of humanity, and that includes our global sports family,” Rajoub wrote
- “Can the Olympic Movement, our movement, stand idly by while the most fundamental human right – the right to life – is violated against its own members?”
Salford ‘way more prepared’ for Man City rematch says manager
- Karl Robinson is adamant Salford will be a better side when they return to the scene of last season’s 8-0 defeat by Manchester City
LONDON: Karl Robinson is adamant Salford will be a better side when they return to the scene of last season’s 8-0 defeat by Manchester City.
The fourth-tier club side were thrashed by Pep Guardiola’s men in an FA Cup third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium.
They will now make the same short journey in England’s northwest in the fourth round on Saturday and the Salford manager is confident of a very different game.
“Last year was really emotional,” said Robinson. “It wasn’t too long ago our owners were leaning on iron bars watching non-league football.
“To then walk out at the Etihad in front of 60,000 with their football club was incredible. That’s the journey of all journeys.
“This year we have other things to worry about. We have a different mindset. We’ve learned from last year. We’ll be way more prepared.”
Playing City in the FA Cup was an indication of Salford’s rise through the ranks of English football from non-league level, with their ascent propelled by their takeover by a group of former Manchester United stars from the celebrated ‘Class of 92’.
Salford are now in their seventh successive campaign in League Two, with the ownership changing last year as a new consortium fronted by Gary Neville and David Beckham bought out their former Old Trafford teammates.
Forging their own identity in the shadow of some of England’s leading clubs is an issue for Salford, who will revert to their traditional orange kit after the ‘Class of 92’ brought in a red and white strip.
“Salford is a proper football club and that’s our message going into this game,” said Robinson.
“Last year we wore the red kit but we’ll wear our away kit this year, just to signify it’s a new era. We do sit separate to City and United. We have our own identity.
“We’re a completely different football club now.”
For all Robinson’s renewed optimism, City thrashed League One Exeter 10-1 in the last round of the FA Cup.
But he insisted: “There’s always hope, there’s always a possibility. You don’t know 100 percent. You might know the odds are 99.9 percent against, but there’s still that chance.
“Everyone goes to bed the night before with that thought of ‘what if?’, and that’s exciting.”
The fourth-tier club side were thrashed by Pep Guardiola’s men in an FA Cup third-round tie at the Etihad Stadium.
They will now make the same short journey in England’s northwest in the fourth round on Saturday and the Salford manager is confident of a very different game.
“Last year was really emotional,” said Robinson. “It wasn’t too long ago our owners were leaning on iron bars watching non-league football.
“To then walk out at the Etihad in front of 60,000 with their football club was incredible. That’s the journey of all journeys.
“This year we have other things to worry about. We have a different mindset. We’ve learned from last year. We’ll be way more prepared.”
Playing City in the FA Cup was an indication of Salford’s rise through the ranks of English football from non-league level, with their ascent propelled by their takeover by a group of former Manchester United stars from the celebrated ‘Class of 92’.
Salford are now in their seventh successive campaign in League Two, with the ownership changing last year as a new consortium fronted by Gary Neville and David Beckham bought out their former Old Trafford teammates.
Forging their own identity in the shadow of some of England’s leading clubs is an issue for Salford, who will revert to their traditional orange kit after the ‘Class of 92’ brought in a red and white strip.
“Salford is a proper football club and that’s our message going into this game,” said Robinson.
“Last year we wore the red kit but we’ll wear our away kit this year, just to signify it’s a new era. We do sit separate to City and United. We have our own identity.
“We’re a completely different football club now.”
For all Robinson’s renewed optimism, City thrashed League One Exeter 10-1 in the last round of the FA Cup.
But he insisted: “There’s always hope, there’s always a possibility. You don’t know 100 percent. You might know the odds are 99.9 percent against, but there’s still that chance.
“Everyone goes to bed the night before with that thought of ‘what if?’, and that’s exciting.”
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