First boxing club opens its doors to Gaza women

First boxing club opens its doors to Gaza women

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GAZA (Reuters) – Gaza’s only women’s boxing club, 15-year-old Farah Abu Al-Khomsan, is among other girls training under Osama Ayob’s coach at the Palestine Boxing Center. And, practicing movements while exchanging jabs and punches.

Since starting the sport at the age of nine, Farah has found relief from the day-to-day stresses of living in Gaza, a narrow coastal strip home to some 2.3 million Palestinians that has been blockaded by both Israel and neighboring Egypt. rice field.

“I used to train in a small garage. Now I train according to the complete rules and release bad energy,” the 15-year-old said at the area’s first boxing center dedicated to women. Did.

Six years ago, Ayoub started with two girls. As attendance grew, they moved out of the garage and began training on the beach and rented his space before moving into the new club building.

“The girls are ready. I trained them hard for five years,” Ayoub said. “We are setting an example.”

About 40 girls now train at the center, using a full-size boxing ring, training equipment and posters of boxing heroes such as Mike Tyson on the walls, making boxing traditionally male We are responding to the expectations of the region, which used to be sports.

“Some people were saying to me, ‘Why do you box and what are you going to get out of it, let’s go learn something girly,'” Farrar said. My ambition today is to represent the Palestinian people at the World Championships.”

By Nidal Almughrabi, edited by Timothy Heritage

Our Standards: Thomson Reuters Trust Principles.

Nidal Al Mugrabi

thomson Reuters

A senior correspondent with nearly 25 years of experience, he has covered the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, including several wars and the signing of the first historic peace agreement between the two countries.

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