Gazan amputees secure Para-Cycling World Championships qualification
- Text by Isaac Muk
- Photography by Various (see captions)
Gaza Sunbirds — Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour earned Palestine’s first-ever top-20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup in Belgium over the weekend.
Two Gazan amputee para-cyclists, Alaa al-Dali and Mohamed Asfour, have qualified for the Para-Cycling World Championships.
The feat came as they secured Palestine’s first-ever top 20 finish at the Para-Cycling World Cup, which took place in Belgium at the weekend. The 2025 Para-Cycling Road World Championships will take place between August 28-31 in Ronse, Belgium.
Both cyclists have been evacuated from Gaza in the wake of the ongoing humanitarian disaster in the Strip. They are part of the Gaza Sunbirds para-cycling team, which al-Dali co-founded in 2020, after being shot in the leg by an Israeli sniper while peacefully protesting during the Great March of Return demonstrations in 2018.
Commenting on the achievement, al-Dali said: “We ride for our country with pride, and thank God Palestine was among the countries that qualified for the upcoming World Championship.
“At the same time, our people in Gaza are experiencing famine, killing, and genocide, and the situation is very bad,” he continued. “Despite this, our teammates are still trying to help and are continuing to deliver aid to our people experiencing intense famine. This is something that athletes around the world must know to help us stop this destruction of Gaza, and the whole world must raise its voice, including the sports world, until the attacks against us stop.”
Asfour added: “Participating in this competition and representing Palestine is a great honour in my life. After years of training in Gaza and dreaming of moments like this, being able to compete and meet international athletes means so much to me."
The team is aiming to qualify for the 2028 Paralympic Games, which are set to take place in Los Angeles.
The Gaza Sunbirds consists of 19 teammates who have suffered from injuries and amputations as a result of Israeli attacks. Some members remain in Gaza and continue to distribute aid to local people. Revisit our 2023 interview here, and support the Gaza Sunbirds by purchasing a jersey here.
Isaac Muk is Huck’s digital editor. Follow him on Bluesky.
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