Palestine athletes will get scholarships from the IOC to aid in their preparation for important competitions
The International Olympic Committee announced that it will provide several scholarships to assist Palestinian athletes in preparing for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles and the Asian Games the following year.
The IOC said it would offer the scholarships through its Olympic Solidarity purse to help the athletes in the region prepare for the 2025 Asian Youth Games in Bahrain, the 2026 Youth Olympic Games in Dakar, the 2026 Asian Games in Aichi-Nagoya, and the 2028 LA Olympics after meeting with the Palestinian National Olympic Committee on Wednesday.
It is anticipated that roughly 50 Palestinian athletes will gain from it, with the primary goal being LA Games qualification. Palestinian athletes often make up less than 10% of the overall number of athletes competing at the Olympics.
IOC President Kirsty Coventry said in a statement after meeting with Jibril Rajoub, the head of the Palestinian Olympic Committee, that “like everyone interested in peace for the region, we follow the current diplomatic developments very closely and hope that they can soon lead to a pathway to peace.”
The Islamist organization Hamas launched the October 7, 2023, attack on Israel that claimed 1,200 lives and resulted in the seizure of 251 hostages, according to Israeli statistics. Israel insists that its battle in Gaza is not against the inhabitants of Gaza but rather against Hamas.
According to local health professionals, about 66,000 Palestinians have died in the war in Gaza.
“We naturally stand in solidarity with the Olympic community in the region, and our deepest sympathies continue to go out to all those affected by this conflict,” Coventry stated.
In addition to offering to assist in coordinating international efforts for funds targeted at repairing damaged sports facilities, the IOC last year declared its support for the Palestinian Olympic Committee’s “Palestinian Sports Revival Plan.”
Similar pressure has been applied to several sports, and the Olympic body has likewise rejected attempts to bar Israel from the Olympics. Lise Klaveness, the president of the Norwegian Football Federation, stated this week that Israel ought to be prohibited from participating in international tournaments due to the conflict in Gaza.
According to the IOC, neither the Palestinian Olympic Committee nor the Israeli Olympic Committee have committed any violations of its Olympic Charter that would call for a sanction to be considered.
