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.”
Palestine Olympic chief writes open letter pleading for help to stop Gaza genocide
https://arab.news/r4dwv
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?”
Archer dismisses Australian tailenders for a 5-wicket haul to keep England in the Ashes contest
ADELAIDE, Australia: Jofra Archer dismissed Mitchell Starc for a well-made 54 and No. 11 Nathan Lyon to restrict Australia to 371 on Thursday and complete a five-wicket haul to keep England in the Ashes contest.
Archer picked up the first wicket of the third test, two more in the first over after lunch later Wednesday and the last two on Day 2 after Australia resumed at 322 for eight.
Starc made it back-to-back half centuries to continue his run of form that has earned him player-of-the-match honors in Australia’s opening eight-wicket wins in Perth and Brisbane.
He was unbeaten on 33 overnight and quickly raced to his half-century, plundering four boundaries in the first 10 deliveries of the morning: two slashing cuts in the first over from Archer and two more to wayward deliveries from Brydon Carse.
Starc reached 50 with a single, hit the first ball of Archer’s next over to the boundary but then the England paceman bowled him with a delivery that angled in from around the stumps.
The last-wicket pair added 23 runs before Archer trapped Lyon lbw, leaving Scott Boland unbeaten on 14 from 21 deliveries.
Archer returned 5-53 from 20.2 overs for his fourth five-wicket haul in test cricket, and third in the Ashes.
Victory a must by England
England needs a victory in Adelaide to have any chance of reclaiming the Ashes in this five-test series. A good batting performance in hot conditions on Thursday will help the cause, particularly with the Australians in the field and the temperature forecast to get close to 40C on Day 2.
On Wednesday, Alex Carey posted a hometown hundred and Usman Khawaja scored 82 after he was recalled at the last minute to replace Steve Smith on the eve of his 39th birthday.
Carey’s 106 was slightly contentious after he survived a review for caught behind when he was on 72. England reviewed the initial not out decision but Carey survived as decision review technology showed a noise spike before the ball had reached his bat.
The technology’s operators, BBG, later conceded after play ended that an operator error was most likely.
“Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this, is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing,” BBG founder Warren Brennan said in a statement.
Before play on Day 2, the ICC match referee restored one review to England because of the error.
