Not Allowed to Win: Exclusionary Policies Towards Palestinian Athletes

Palestine has successfully used sport as a tool for gaining international recognition, for example by becoming a member of FIFA and participating in the Olympic Games. Football teams in the diaspora such as Club Deportivo Palestino in Chile have been major vehicles for Palestinian identity. But sport also reflects the difficulties Palestinians face in everyday life, for example by having to run separate championships in Gaza and the West Bank. This talk will give an overview of relevant political issues around Palestinian sport before focusing on presenting a case study on Palestinian athletes living in Lebanon and the discriminations they are facing due to their statelessness. CCAS, in partnership with the Sports Industry Management Program at Georgetown, was pleased to host Dr. Danyel Reiche.