At the Special Olympics World Games in Berlin, the Palestinian delegation will no longer be allowed to wear shirts with a map of Israel on them. After research by the Tagesspiegel, the World Association of Special Olympics took action and banned the wearing of the corresponding clothing. The Israeli embassy in Berlin had spoken of a denial of Israel’s right to exist.
On the back of the shirts of the athletes with learning disabilities, the letter “I” on the “Palestine” lettering was replaced by a map of the region, which showed the Palestinian territories in the West Bank and the Gaza Strip as well as the national territory of Israel.
This text appears as part of the “Special Olympics Newspaper” – a joint project of the Tagesspiegel, DGUV, BGW and Special Olympics Germany. All texts about the World Games in Berlin can be found here.
The world association said on Thursday that it had become aware of the rule violation through the research of this newspaper: Political symbols are strictly forbidden at the World Games.
“Special Olympics celebrates inclusion, diversity and togetherness. It is not surprising that the Palestinians are even abusing this wonderful platform to spread their distracting messages,” the Israeli embassy in Berlin said on Thursday. With this “anti-Israel presentation”, the Palestinian jerseys would spread the message “that there is no place for a Jewish state in the Middle East”.
The lettering on the Palestinians’ jerseys “virtually obliterates Israel,” said Volker Beck, a former member of the Bundestag for the Greens, to the Tagesspiegel. For the President of the German-Israeli Society and Managing Director of the Tikvah Institute, the depiction of the map is incompatible with the Olympic spirit. In addition to the Palestinian territories, the entire state of Israel is claimed for a possible Palestinian state.
The Mideast Freedom Forum Berlin (MFFB), an organization for political advice and political education, came to the same conclusion on Thursday. “One must clearly label such maps as Israel-related anti-Semitism,” said the MFFB. “Anyone who shows such maps would like to destroy a state recognized by the UN, namely the Jewish state of Israel.”
Photos in the social networks also show how the Palestinian delegation in T-shirts with the card lettering took part in the Palestinian Mission in Berlin and at a reception in the city of Dortmund. The athletes were in Dortmund as part of the “Host Town Program”, in which all participating delegations were guests in German cities before the start of the World Games to promote inclusion.Riding at the Special Olympics World Games “The connection to the horse is the most important thing” Special Olympics World Games Time out from the war for Team Ukraine Sportsmanship at the Special Olympics World Games The most beautiful extra round in the world
As early as Thursday morning, a Palestinian athlete competed in table tennis in a neutral jersey showing the logo of the World Games in Berlin.
