Tennis Crosses Borders
Shahar Peer became the first Israeli female tennis player to compete in a pro tennis tournament in the Gulf Arab region when she played at the Sony Ericsson WTA Tour stop in Doha, Qatar this week. The six Gulf Arab countries do not recognize Israel, but Qatar is the only country in the region with an Israeli diplomatic mission, i.e. a trade mission. Back in 2002, history was made at Wimbledon when an Israeli tennis player, Amir Hadad,
competed in the Gentlemen’s Doubles Championships with a Pakistani tennis player, Aisam-Ul-Haq (Sam) Qureshi. At that time, the players did not make a big issue about a Jew and a Muslim playing doubles together. Nonetheless, these are two powerful examples of how high-profile international professional sports, such as tennis, can quietly serve as examples. Sports and politics should not be intertwined as pawns for political purposes as they have at times in the past, e.g. the Moscow Olympic boycott, etc. However, sports can act as a positive illustration of how people can work together… regardless of their nationality or religion…
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