The joy of sports is universal enough to transcend many human woes. For two of the world’s most woebegone places, Afghanistan and Gaza, glimmers of a return to athletic competition show why sports do indeed retain that eternal power of joy – and possible rejuvenation.
On Thursday, 21 Afghan women in exile from Taliban rule played an exhibition cricket match in Australia against a Melbourne team. Wearing blue jerseys displaying a tulip (Afghanistan’s national flower), they were the first Afghan women cricketers to compete in the international field.
Given that cricket is the most popular sport in Afghanistan, the game alone was an achievement. Yet as The Afghan Times news outlet in Pakistan pointed out, “This match was more than just a game – it was a symbol of resilience, hope, and the unyielding spirit of Afghan female cricketers who have continued to pursue their passion despite immense challenges.”
The match also came with a soft-power message to the team’s home country, where organized women’s athletics are banned. As one team player, Tooba Khan Sarwari, told The Diplomat, “To the Afghan women in Afghanistan it will say that ‘We are representing you. We are with you and never give up.’”
The other case of sports as sprouts of joy comes as a tentative peace settles over Gaza after 15 months of a war sparked by the Hamas attack on Israel.
In early January, the Palestine Olympic Committee met to “reactivate the suspended sports activity” caused by the conflict, including the destruction of sport facilities and the killing of athletes.
One goal is to have a team ready for the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles. Last year, eight Palestinians were able to participate in the Paris Games. Yet the main task is to revive sports as “an element of unity” and for “national identity,” perhaps laying the seeds for a Palestinian state.
The Palestinian Football Association has begun to scout for young men to play professional soccer, the favorite sport in Gaza. The territory’s athletes, declares the sports news site, FootBoom, “remain steadfastly attached to their dreams of pursuing sports among the ruins, determined to reclaim the once vibrant fields where sportsmanship was celebrated.” Joy to that.
