Issam Khalidi
For a long time, Egypt has been the heart of the Arab world. It
played an influential political and cultural role in the region. Since late
1800’s, Egypt witnessed a remarkable progress in many aspects that made
Palestinians and other Arabs view it with admiration. They saw in Egypt their most center of gravity. Palestinians
obtained a big share of Egyptian cultural growth (literature,
education, arts, sports etc.). Sharing borders, nationality and culture
with Egypt, Palestine always attracted many famous Egyptian writers, poets,
scholars, actors and athletes.
Before 1948, sport was part of the cultural
exchange which existed between Palestine and Egypt. Documents show that between
the two countries, originated distinguished athletic relations. The numerous
sporting events and the cooperation which were based on national brotherhood
and Egyptian support to Palestine, gave Palestinian sports an impetus to appear
stronger in the region. Not to mention the Egyptian support to the Arab
Palestine Sports Federation APSF to join FIFA -International Football
Association - in 1946.
However, these relations were subject to political conditions in both countries.
Since 1920's, Arabs and Jews in
Palestine sought to attract Egyptian teams and athletes to compete with. Through
the period 1920s-1940s, sports in Egypt reached a relatively high level. Some
Egyptian champions took part in international competitions and won Olympic
medals.[1] The
Jewish Maccabi organization in Palestine was concerned to maintain and
cooperate with its counterpart in Egypt for sports and intelligence purposes. In
general, the Jewish sports organizations sought to sustain their cooperation
with British teams in Palestine and Egypt at the same time when the British
teams in Palestine continuously
had meetings with their teams in Egypt.
One of the main reasons in intensifying Zionist
sports activities with Egypt was the espionage scheme of the Jewish Agency that
recruited Zionist agents from the ranks of the Arab Jewry. In the 1920s, the
Jewish Agency set up an espionage network that had branches in the Arab world
operating clandestinely behind legitimate front organizations, such as the
Maccabee clubs or the intelligence agency with an "Arab" section
headed by Moshe (Shertok) Sharett (1894 - 1965). The Mossad established a
center in 1937 to train Arab Jews in espionage activities against their own
countrymen. The spies were called "the Arab Jews."[2]
It was within this frame of reference that Zionist emissaries traveled
throughout the Arab world, with the purpose of winning converts and urging
support for the future Zionist state. Training camps for prospective emigrants
were set up. [3]
Zionist sources have understandably always been reluctant to document the
record of Jewish resistance to Zionist intervention in the affairs of diaspora
Jews. Over the years, many Jewish Arabs informed their governments about
Zionist activity, and in reality, Zionists remained a small and
unrepresentative minority. In the 1940s, Egypt, Iraq, and Tunisia witnessed a
veritable war between the Zionists, whose origins were largely European, and
the Arab Jews.[4]
This Zionist leadership viewed establishing
athletic federations and committees as a means of achieving overall Zionist
goals of establishing and legitimating Zionist claims to Palestine. These
official organizations helped represent Palestine as "Jewish," both
regionally and internationally, and were seen as instrumental in achieving the
leadership's national and political goals. Joining FIFA in 1929, gave Palestine
Football Association PFA the possibility to act as a representative of
Palestine internationally. It could control all athletic meeting with all teams
in the region and internationally. [5]
In
1931 the (Arab) Palestine Sports Federation PSF was founded by a group of young
men as a reaction to the Jewish-dominated Palestine Football Association PFA. PSF
was founded at a time when the Palestinian national movement had to grapple
with the fact that its traditional leadership was ineffective in the face of a
refusal by the British mandatory administration to accord Palestinians the same
degree of self-governance that it had granted other Arabs such as the Egyptians
and the Iraqis. [6]
APSF represented only Arabs in Palestine.
Therefore, teams from neighboring Arab countries had to get a permission from
this PFA in order to meet with their Arab-Palestinians counterpart. It
functioned very well until the break out of the Great 1936 Revolt. However, because of the worsening of political situations
the functions of APSF were completely paralyzed at the end of 1930's. This
stagnant condition which Arab sports suffered forced Arab clubs to
participate in the leagues which were organized by PFA. After being withdrew
from PFA in 1943, Arab clubs in Palestine re-established APSF in September 1944.
It continued functioning until the end of 1947. It’s worth mentioning that prior to
1948 there were some 65 social athletic clubs in Palestine. Approximately 55 of
them were members of the APSF. [7]
It's
a fact that Arab sports lagged behind Jewish sports. The Jews came to Palestine
from developed industrial societies. Definitely, they brought with them physical
culture and the culture of sports. The yishuv, and the Zionist movement
that represented it, in consequence received powerful external support, both
from many of its coreligionist elsewhere and from the greatest imperial power
of the day, as well as from the League of Nations. [8]
Reading the
Zionist literature on the history of Palestine as well as the history of sports
in Palestine, one might get the impression that Palestine was void of
Palestinians. If such histories do mention the Palestinians, they invariably
try to depict these Palestinians as lacking any cultural, social, or athletic
aspect. They appear to assert that the Zionists populated the region, and
graced it with civilization and modernization — that they brought sports and
culture to the primitive people who had hitherto known nothing of either of
these refinements.
Kaufman states that the first football ties
with Egypt we know about were with the Jews of that country. In July 1925, the
Hazofim (Scouts) Alexandria team visited Israel and held several games against
Jewish teams. Along the way they were beaten by Maccabi Tel Aviv 5-3 and they
defeated Hapoel Haifa 3 -1. In April 1927 the Egyptian – Greek Ramla – Atis
football team visited Israel and defeated Maccabi Tel Aviv 1 -0, and in November
1927 Maccabi Chashmonai Jerusalem visited Alexandria and Cairo where they were
beaten by Zamalak Cairo 5-2 and apparently drew 1-1 in a second game held in
Cairo. [9]
Since its founding in 1926,
ha-Poel pursued to extend the bridges with the athletic teams in Egypt and the
British teams there. Its first match was with the Nadi al-Ittihad al-Tarwihi
in 1927. Accompanied by the British Major Hurst (The head of the Maccabee
soccer team and the president of the Amateur Palestine Sport Association), in
1932, the Maccabee team visited Egypt and competed with military Arsenal club
there and the Hellenic club in Cairo and Alexandria.[10]
In 1930, a team of Palestine football
players comprised of six Jewish and nine British players toured Egypt. The team,
which was named the “Land of Israel Select Team,” had the letter “P” (short for
“Palestine”) on its uniform, while “LD” (indicating
“Land of Israel”) was written in small letters. Due to this fact, as well as to
the failure of the team in its games against the Cairo team (5-0), the
Alexandria team (2-0), and a military team from Cairo (5-2), the trip was
sharply criticized in the Hebrew press. [11]
The Hebrew-language newspaper Davar, quoted here from Haggai
Harif and Yair Galily’s Sports
and Politics in Palestine, 1918-48, stated that “‘We highly regard
the friendly relations between our country and the neighboring countries;
indeed, sport can produce such relations. Again, a team from the Land of Israel
went to compete in Egypt. Their uniform is not blue and white but black and
white, and their symbol is not a Hebrew one but a big P and only small LD on its side … the team had to reflect the composition of
the country — only the inhabitants of the country and not military people who
travel here and there, and due to their temporary status in the land cannot be
representatives of the country.’’ [12]
In
March 1931, Filastin criticized Arab teams in Palestine for not showing
the desire to meet with the visiting Egyptian University team, stating that “Invited
by Palestine Football Association, the Egyptian University team visited
Palestine and played against a Jewish team. No Arab team offered to compete
with the Egyptian team except the Orthodox Club in Jaffa. The citizens of Jaffa
were urged to attend this match on the 15th of February.” [13]
Also, other clubs were urged to compete with this team for the reason that the
Egyptian team was distinguished by a high skill level. [14]
After the game between the
Egyptian University team and the Maccabi team of Tel Aviv, in February 1931 the
Palestine Bulletin wrote: “The Palestine Football Association is to be
congratulated for having brought the Cairo team here."[15]
Filastin described
a match between the British Jewish team and Tirsana team,
one
PFA team as:
A mixture
of soldiers of the British Army and Jewish youth… [T]hey were photographed;
between them stood the Governor of Jerusalem and the Egyptian Consul…The flags
that were raised on the sides of the stadium were the Egyptian flag, between
the English and the Zionist flags… Around the stadium were many British soldiers
and Palestine police to maintain security.[16]
Maccabiad
The Maccabiad (Maccabiah) was held in 1932 and 1935 by the Maccabi Sports Organization in Tel Aviv, hosting thousands of Jews from
dozens of countries. The event stirred Jewish nationalism and provided a means
of introducing Jews to the future homeland. It was also a means of normalizing
the coming Jewish state in Palestine. Marches which looked as paramilitary and
the flying of the Zionist flags were considered as a main ceremonial part of
the Festivals. [17]
Athletic teams from Egypt and Syria took part
in the first Maccabiah of 1932, however, due to the boycott
which the Palestinian national movement called for, Egypt and Syria abstained
from taking part in the second Maccabiad in 1935.[18]
Palestinian newspapers warned about the purposes of these games. Eisen (1979)
states that Falastin bitterly complained about the reception of the
arriving Maccabis who were encouraged by Zionist spokesmen to settle and
conquer the land through work.[19]
Since the festival was a fait accompli, the High Commissioner being its Patron,
the Arab leadership could not initiate any course of action other than to
declare a boycott against the Games. [20]
Jewish newspapers point that the most impressive gain of the festival, in the
eyes of the [Jewish] editors, was the participation of the Muslim Muhammad Said
from Egypt, they also pointed with regret to the fact that Arab sports clubs in
Palestine were kept away from the sports meet under pressure of the
chauvinistic Arab press. [21]
About the second Maccabiah 1935, the Egyptian newspaper Ismailiyyeh explained
to its readers that "Maccabi is a Jewish word organization which is in
theory sportive but in practice militaristic .... the Maccabi contingent serve
as the basis of a future Jewish army and include the best and fittest of the
enlightened Jewish youth. This newspaper
asked if the Arab youth are equally ready to perform national duties if they
are asked to do so?" [22]
Arab political and public
institutions inside and outside Palestine enthusiastically joined the protest
movement from its beginning. The Arab press in Palestine published a protest,
which was sent by the Palestine Arab Party and Arab Youth Federation, to the
mandate Government for having granted permission for the festival which could
only "affect the feelings" of the Arabs. [23]
It should be added, however, that some major Arab dailies, especially in Egypt,
commented favorably on the Maccabiah Games although no Arab athletes took part
in the festival, and provided extensive coverage on the participation of
Maccabi Egypt in the festival. [24]
Israeli sources today claim that despite the warning of the Arab press against
the Games, however Syria and Egypt decided to take part in these Games beside
twelve countries, with a delegation of sixty-nine participants from both
countries [in the first Maccabiah 1932].[25]
Certainly, Egyptian officials were aware about political conditions in
Palestine. However, they were subject to the British policy which aimed to normalize
Egyptian relations with the Zionist movement. The British gave Egypt
conditional independence in 1922, which allowed for the formation of a
constitutional monarchy. Under this new treaty, however, the British still
controlled Egypt's defense and foreign policy. [26]
In May
1943, the Egyptian Army team arrived in Palestine to take part in sports games
which were organized by the Zionist-dominated Federation of the Amateur Sport
Clubs in Palestine FASCP (established in 1931) at the Maccabi field court in
Tel Aviv. British army and police teams
took part beside Jewish athletes representing various clubs. The Egyptian
athletes showed high level of skills in games; two of them hit records in some
games while others hit records for Palestine. [27]
The Arabs in Palestine criticized the Egyptian participation in these games,
especially, they came at the time when Arab teams began to withdraw from PFA.
In Haifa, in August 1943, FASCP organized water games between the Egyptian swimming
(included water polo) selected team and the Jewish teams in Haifa and Tel Aviv.
The Egyptian team won all competitions and hit a new record in 200 meters free
style.[28]
In September 1943, FASCP agreed to hold international competitions in swimming
where athletes from Egypt and Lebanon would take part. It was announced that
these competitions will start at Bat Galim in Haifa. However, the Egyptian and
Lebanese delegation did not attend for unknown reasons. The competitions in Haifa
had been canceled. [29]
In September 1943, a dispute occurred
between PFA and the Egyptian Football Association EFA when the latter, sent a
telegram to the former informing it that it had prevented all Egyptian teams from
making any athletic trips out of Egypt claiming that "EFA prevents all
foreign sports associations to meet with any Egyptian team without its
knowledge." PFA requested all
its member teams to refrain from meeting with Egyptian team who had arrived to
Tel Aviv. However, Beitar (a Zionist extremist organization) did not pay attention
to this request, and eventually the competition had been held. Therefore, PFA
decided to impeach Beitar which insisted to hold more games with the Egyptian
team. This increased the confusion of both associations, and caused a rift
between the two parties. [30]
For the Arab Palestinian-Egyptian athletic meeting, the
1930' witnessed few competitions between Arabs in Palestine and Egyptians teams. However,
meetings were intensified after the re-establishment of the Arab Palestine
Sports Federation. As mentioned earlier,
the Arab PSF was established in 1931, it functioned until late 1930's, and few
Arab clubs took part in Haifa, Jaffa and Jerusalem leagues organized by the
Jewish-dominated PFA. However, respectively, in 1943, they began to withdraw
from this association. The Egyptian Army (who refused to visit Palestine unless
it will have the opportunity to compete with Arab teams) team’s visit to
Palestine was an effective incentive that made the Arabs to form a team in
Palestine that the Egyptian team could compete with. Therefore, local
associations were formed in Jaffa, Jerusalem and Haifa.[31]
These local associations were a nucleus for a bigger future association - APSF.
In September 1944, the Arab Palestine Sports
Federation APSF was re-established. Immediately, it contacted all federations
in the neighboring Arab countries, informing them that one of its main tasks
was to sustain relations with them. It also sent a special delegation to Egypt to
make deals with its teams there. APSF also, decided to sign an agreement with
Egyptian coaches who were willing to work in Palestine. Also, it sent letters
to all Arab sports federations informing them about the reasons that
led to the lack of cooperation with PFA. Later, the meetings and cooperation between
Palestine and Egypt have been increased. The Egyptian teams at that time (1944
- 1948) viewed Arab teams as a strong opponent.
Palestinian and Egyptian
athletes competed in boxing, wrestling and weightlifting. These three sports
came in popularity after football. They were part of the clubs’ main sports
activities. At the same time, many boxers competed independently. The Egyptian boxer
Mukhtar Hussein met with Adib Bek Kamal (or Adib Turki - from a Turkish origin,
who was the champion of Palestine, Lebanon and Iraq) in Jaffa, Jerusalem and
Haifa. The revenues of these competitions were allocated to Sanduq al-al-Umma National Fund, and
for establishing an athletic club in Haifa known as Nadi al-Mulakama
wa-Riyada which later became headed by Adib Kamal. [32]
In September 1943 the Egyptian all Stars team met with a combined team of
Shabab al-Arab, Islamic Sports Club and the (Armenian) Homentmen in Haifa. The
Egyptian won 4:0. [33]
Palestinian boxers visited Egypt and
participated in Butulat al-Sharq Championship of the Near East, among
them was the well-known Palestinian boxer Al-Dasuqi who met twice with the
Egyptian champion Arafah al-Sayyed. Al- Dasuqi suggested that the third match between him and
al-Sayyed to be held in Palestine. [34]
The newspaper al-Ahram accused Dasuqi of evading the match with al-Sayyed.
Responding to al-Ahram’s (Egyptian main newspaper) commentary in January 1946 in
Filastin, Dasoqi confirmed that he had been to Egypt twice, so its time to
invite his rival to Palestine. He also mentioned that he offered al-Sayyed
three times the amount of money al-Sayyed received in Egypt, which is a generous offer. So,
there is no justification to accuse him of “evading”. Al-Dasuqi stated that, the
Palestinian fans would like to have this kind of matches in Palestine. [35]
In August 1945, a team of wrestlers and weightlifters
visited Palestine, among them the well-known Egyptian weightlifter Mukhtar
Hussein, Muhammad J’essa and the Olympic Champion Khader al-Tuni. [36]
The Egyptian team met with an Arab selected team in Haifa, and won 5 to 1. In mid-May 1946,
the Moslem Brotherhood invited Dasuqi and his colleagues to Cairo to compete
with its teams in different Egyptians cities. Unfortunately, the Egyptian
government gave visas only to half of the Palestinian teams. Dasuqi agreed to
travel with four of his colleagues; which had a negative impact on the results.
[The team] won two and lost two in Mansoura; three losses and one winning in
Alexandria; a tie in Port Said. These results were honorable for the
Palestinian team, due to its modest abilities.
After the
re-establishment of the APSF, a committee of boxing, wrestling and
weightlifting was founded.
FIFA
It’s a matter of
fact, that until that time the Egyptian teams (and all other Arab teams) had to
get the approval from the Jewish-dominated PFA in order to meet with Arab teams
in Palestine. The Egyptian gradually became aware about the athletic
situations in Palestine. However, in April 1945, APSF’s secretary sent a letter
to the Egyptian Football Association protesting the meeting between Alexandria
selected team and the Zionist teams in Tel Aviv.
APSF sought to be
affiliated with FIFA. Though Arabs were the majority in Palestine. However, Palestine
was represented by the PFA in this international organization. The establishment of the Palestinian Arab Sports
Federation could help to develop
a lot of issues that were not understood by the teams and federations in
Arabic countries about the essence of
the conflict within the sports movement in Palestine. In July 1946, Husein Husni wrote in Filastin in:
A
delegation of PSF is leaving to Egypt to discuss the arrangements of some games
between the two countries, we hope that this delegation will review the issue
of the non-Arab PFA which is internationally recognized and represents us against
our will. We hope that Egypt will mediate, and ask for
its cancelation. And if this is not possible at the present time , then we will ask for
two-thirds of its seats This
organization does not represent the Arabs. [37]
FIFA rejected the request of PSF’s secretary Abdel Rahman al-Habbab
to attend its congress. Habbab visited Egypt in July 1946 and met with the
general secretary of the Arab League [Abdel Rahman Azzam] and with Haidar Pasha
President of the EFA. Both were concerned about PSF's affiliation with FIFA,
and were sorry for the inability of the Palestinian delegate to attend the FIFA congress. However, after
consulting with the secretariat of the Arab League they decided to send a
telegram to FIFA asking for the affiliation of APSF. [38]
At the
FIFA Congress the vice president read a telegram from the EFA in which it asked
for the affiliation of the APSF. At the end, PSF’s application for Joining FIFA
was rejected. However, the tireless efforts of APSF were not in vain, because it could introduce FIFA to the nature of the conflict between
Arab and Jews and put a fundament for future Palestine's affiliation with FIFA. This was Palestine’s
first attempt among five attempts to join FIFA in 1998.
Hussein Husni
No history of Palestinian
athletics would be complete without mention of the unique role of Hussein
Husni, who came to Palestine from Egypt and, as previously mentioned, taught
physical education at Rawdat al-Ma’aref. He also served at the request of the
Higher Islamic Committee as supervisor for the schools of the Islamic Orphanage [Awqaf Dar al-Aitam al-Islamiya]. After the re-establishment of
the APSF, Husni became a member of its track-and-field committee, and editor of
sports news in Filastin newspaper. Husni’s articles reflected an
awareness of the essential role of sports and physical education that was rare
at the time. He tried to generate interest in physical activity by pouring his
knowledge of the benefits of physical exercise into his articles. He also
advocated physical exercise for women, and criticized the authorities for their
neglect of the body. In one typical article, Husni described the sorry state of
Jerusalem’s athletic facilities, where the city had only six playing fields,
four for foreigners and two for the Arabs. One of the Arab fields, that of the
YMCA, had been occupied by the army for seven months, he complained. The second
belonged to Terra Santa and was the site of all matches. “We all ask: ‘Where is
the government?’ Others ask: ‘Where is the municipality?’ I say frankly: ‘They
are not ready to offer assistance for the benefit of the body.” His and other
sports articles were published daily after the revival of the APSF,
demonstrating the connection between institutional unity and a strong written
message.[39]
Conclusion
There is a clear similarity between the
period when Egypt was under British colonialism and currently under the
Sisi-led military regime. The former sought to provide support and facilitation
to the Zionist movement in order to achieve its goals in Palestine, while the
latter is taking part with Israel in its restrictions on the Palestinians and
their sports.
Being under Egyptian administration since
the early 1950s, the Gaza Sector witnessed a rapid growth in sports. This
administration had no intention to obliterate Palestinian identity. It helped in maintaining the Palestinian identity
which at the end had positive impacts on sports growth. The Egyptian
administration established the “Regional Committee for Youth Care,” which was
headed by the General Governor, and included 25 members, most of whom were
sports leaders. The Supreme Committee of Youth in Cairo supported this regional
committee financially and technically. Several other committees emerged from
the regional committee such as national education and sports committees.
Palestinian sport found its way during that period; the Egyptian authorities aided
in training and preparing qualified coaches, as well as the exchange of
athletic delegations. Proudly, the
Palestinians in the Gaza Sector could represent Palestine in the international
arena. During that time, Palestine participated in the Pan Arab Games which
started in Alexandria in 1953. In 1966, Palestine participated in the GANEFO
(The Games of the New Emerging Forces) Games in Cambodia.[40]
Issam
Khalidi, an independent scholar living in Monterey, California, is author of History
of Sports in Palestine 1900-1948 in Arabic, One Hundred Years of
Football in Palestine in Arabic and English, Soccer in the Middle East (Routledge),
as well as various articles on the subject of sports included at
www.hpalestinesports.net.
Notes:
[1] Weightlifter
El Sayed Nosseir became Egypt's first ever Olympic gold medalist in July 29,
1928, when he won in the men's 82.5 division. A few days later, wrestler
Ibrahim Mustafa took the top spot for the men's Greco-Roman light heavyweight
division in August 5. Diver Farid Simaika won the bronze in the men's 3-meter
springboard and the silver for the men's 10-meter platform the very next day. Since 1928, Egypt has been winning Olympic medals from
time to time but they are yet to establish themselves as one of the most
consistent Olympic medal winners. They had a winning streak of three
consecutive Summer Games (1936 – 1952) then didn't win anything in 1956.
[2]
Abdelwahab Elmessiri, The Land of Promise, (New Brunswick, New Jersey:
North American, 1977), p. 39.
[3] The data
in this part, unless otherwise indicated, are taken mostly from the following
entries in the Encyclopedia of Zionism and Israel: "Iraq, Zionism
in," Vol. I; "North Africa," Zionism in," Vol. II; and
"Egypt, Zionism in," Vol. I. Quoted in Abdelwahab Elmessir, The
Land of Promise, (New Brunswick, New Jersey: North American, 1977), p. 37.
[4]
Abdelwahab Elmessiri, The Land of Promise, p. 38-39.
[5] In 1924, the leadership of the Jewish Maccabi athletic
organization attempted to gain membership in the International Amateur Athletic
Federation. This initiative ended in failure as it was determined that Maccabi
did not represent Arab, British and Jewish sportsmen in Palestine equally.
However, this unsuccessful attempt did not discourage Maccabi leader Josef
Yekutieli, who in the beginning of 1925 attempted to gain Maccabi membership in
the Federation Internationale de Football Association (FIFA). Yekutieli decided
to employ a different tactic this time: he first established the Palestine
Football Association PFA. The federation's inaugural meeting was convened in
the summer of 1928. Immediately, after being accepted in FIFA, the Jewish
leadership started to dominate the Palestine Football Association by ensuring
that Jews were the majority in it. This was accomplished by such strategies as
imposing the Hebrew language and incorporating the Jewish flag in the
federation's logo.
[6] Mustafa
Kabha, "The Palestinian press and the general strike, April - October
1936: Filastin as a case study," Middle Eastern Studies, 29:3 (2003),
169-189.
[7] Issam
Khalidi, “Body and Ideology: Early Athletes in Palestine: 1900 – 1948,” Jerusalem
Quarterly 27 (2007): 44 – 58.
[8] Rashid
Khalidi, The Iron Cage: The Story of the Palestinian Struggle for Statehood (Boston:
Beacon Press, 2007), p. 9.
[11] Harif, H; Galily, Y. “Sport and Politics in Palestine, 1918-1948: Football
as a Mirror Reflecting the Relations between Jews and Britons” . Soccer
and Society, Vol. 4, no. 1, (Spring 2003), p. 41-56.
[13] Filastin,
25 March 1931.
[14] Filastin,
25 February 1931.
[16] Ibid.
[17] Issam Khalidi, “Al-Maccabiad,…al-SahyuniyyawaIstiqlal
al-Riyada,” al-‘Arabino. 548 (2007): 78-87.
[22] Haaretz,
April 12, 1935, p. 12; see also Davar, April 3, 1935, p. 1 and April 20, 1934,
p. 6. Quoted in George Eisen, “The
Maccabiah Games”, p. 263.
George Eisen , “The
Maccabiah Games”, p. 261.
[24] Le Bourse Egyptienne, al-Muqattam, and al-Ahram were
mentioning this context by Haaretz, April 12, 1935, p. 12. Quoted in George Eisen, “The
Maccabiah Games”, p. 261.
[26] Diane
Laguerta, British Imperialism in Egypt, Why, How and When Did They Leave, http://classroom.synonym.com/british-imperialism-egypt-why-did-leave-21799.html
[27] Al-Difa',
9 May 1943.
[28] Filastin,
19 November 1943.
[29] Filastin,
26 September 1943.
[30] Al-Difa',
1 September 1943
[31] Issam
Khalidi, Tarikh al-Haraka al-Riyadiyya fi Falastin, [History of Sports
Movement in Palestine], p. 37. See: www.hpalestinesports.net
[32] Filastin,
September 1933
[33] Palestine
Post, 8 September 1943.
[34] Filastin,
30 January 1946.
[35] Filastin,
30 January 1946. For more information about Al-Dasuqi see:
www.hpalestinesports.net
Finally, Dasoqi agreed to travel to Egypt in June 1946
to take part in Butulat al-Sharq. He met with Arafa
Al-Sayyed who defeated him by points. Adib fell down twice in the last round.
This what made Arafa al-Sayyed the winner. Commenting on Dasuqi’a performance
the athletic commentator stated that Dasuqi’s performance went well, however,
he frequently used his head. Also, he never used his left hand. The game was
composed of 12 rounds, every round was three minutes.
[36] Filastin,
2 August 1945.
[37] Filastin,
25 March 1945.
[38] Al-Difa,
25 July 1946.
[39] Filastin,
23 August 1946. The football fields in
Jerusalem were those affiliated with the YMCA, St. George’s, al-Rawda,
Terra Santa School, Hashmonai, Zion School, al-Umma School, al-Katamon.
[40] The
games set up by Indonesia as a counter to the Olympic Games. Established for
the athletes of the so-called "emerging nations" (mainly newly
independent socialist states), GANEFO was the name given both to the games held
in Jakarta in 1963 and the 36-member sporting federation established the same
year. A second GANEFO scheduled for Cairo in 1967 was cancelled and GANEFO had
only one subsequent event, an "Asian GANEFO" held in Phnom Penh in
1966.
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