Strength Competition Held in Gaza Amidst Devastation
Athletes competed in truck pulling and tire flipping, drawing cheers from onlookers in the war-torn Palestinian territory.
In Gaza, where normal days are rare, a strength competition brought shouts of delight as athletes pulled trucks with ropes and flipped massive tires.
Children and women watched from the rubble of destroyed buildings as competitors in the Palestine Strongman Championship tipped over tires nearly as tall as themselves. Participants also lifted loaded barbells and ran across a courtyard filled with shouts and music. One competitor was seen pulling a truck with a rope.
"It's a great, indescribable feeling. After three years of destruction, strikes, hunger and death, we are back in this fantastic atmosphere," said participant Riyad Fattouh.
The event, organized by Waleed Owda, had been scheduled for 2021 but was postponed. It was delayed again in 2023 when war erupted following Hamas's attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, which led to Israeli retaliation. Owda noted that all sports activities had stopped and sports clubs and venues were destroyed.
"Today, with the help of sponsors, we were able to hold the championship and it is successful, as you can see," Owda said. He added that despite the ruined setting and the territory's near isolation under a fragile ceasefire, "the youths proved to the world that Gaza is home to champions."