Shahar Peer, the 20-year-old from Jerusalem who has ignored an unofficial boycott that has kept Israeli players from competing in the Gulf states, was to make diplomatic history when she stepped on court at the US$2.5 million Qatar Open yesterday.
The 12th-seeded Peer's first round match against Francesca Schiavone, the world No. 23 from Italy, would normally attract no more than a couple of hundred spectators and a handful of lines in the local papers.
Instead Peer has created a sensation.
Peer has suddenly acquired a global focus, received round-the-clock security, and apparently been given a promise that she would be treated "like the Emir's wife."
"I'm here to play tennis," she said. "But if this opens up a window for the younger generation, with Arabs and Israelis working together for peace, I'd be happy."
There is probably more to it than a worthy desire by an individual to contribute something to world peace.
Israel and Qatar have no diplomatic ties, which raises the question as to how and why this is happening now.
The emirate is bidding for the 2016 Olympics, about which a decision will be made next year. So this is a perfectly timed way of trying to suggest that politics won't tarnish any Games which come to the Middle East.
Qatar is said to be one of several moderate Arab states trying to broker peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians.
"We'd love to open an embassy there," the Israeli Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Amira Oron has been quoted as saying. "But for now, it's impossible."
Peer apparently wanted to compete in Qatar before, but was doing her military service and Israel bans its soldiers from visiting Arab countries.
Despite this, Peer is one of the few players on the women's circuit who speaks some Arabic, which she studied briefly in school.
Religious prejudice doesn't seem to be part of her make-up.
In the past she has played doubles with India's Sania Mirza, a Muslim whose cosmopolitan attitudes have upset some Islamic clerics and who has since decided it is impossible to compete in her home country.
Peer has so far found the situation far less extreme.
"She's an entry. She's a good player. It's a normal situation, and it gets a normal reaction from us," tournament director Ayman Azmy said.
Bologna on Thursday advanced past Empoli to reach their first Coppa Italia final in more than half a century. Thijs Dallinga’s 87th-minute header earned Bologna a 2-1 win and his side advanced 5-1 on aggregate. Giovanni Fabbian opened the scoring for Bologna with a header seven minutes in. Then Viktor Kovalenko equalized for Empoli in the 30th minute by turning in a rebound to finish off a counterattack. Bologna won the first leg 3-0. In the May 14 final in Rome, Bologna are to face AC Milan, who eliminated city rivals Inter 4-1 on aggregate following a 3-0 win on Wednesday. Bologna last reached the
If the Wild finally break through and win their first playoff series in a decade, Minnesota’s top line likely will be the reason. They were all over the Golden Knights through the first two games of their NHL Western Conference quarter-finals series, which was 1-1 going back to Minnesota for Game 3 today. The Wild tied the series with a 5-2 win on Tuesday. Matt Boldy had three goals and an assist in the first two games, while Kirill Kaprizov produced two goals and three assists. Joel Eriksson Ek, who centers the line, has yet to get on the scoresheet. “I think the biggest
From a commemorative jersey to a stadium in his name, Argentine soccer organizers are planning a slew of tributes to their late “Captain” Pope Francis, eulogized as the ultimate team player. Tributes to the Argentine pontiff, a lifelong lover of the game, who died on Monday at the age of 88, have been peppered with soccer metaphors in his homeland. “Francisco. What a player,” the Argentine Football Federation (AFA) said, describing the first pope from Latin America and the southern hemisphere as a generational talent who “never hogged the ball” and who showed the world “the importance of having an Argentine captain,
Noelvi Marte on Sunday had seven RBIs and hit his first career grand slam with a drive off infielder Jorge Mateo, while Austin Wynn had a career-high six RBIs as the Cincinnati Reds scored their most runs in 26 years in a 24-2 rout of the Baltimore Orioles. Marte finished with five hits, including his eighth-inning homer off Mateo. Wynn hit a three-run homer in the ninth off catcher Gary Sanchez. Cincinnati scored its most runs since a 24-12 win against the Colorado Rockies on May 19, 1999, and finished with 25 hits. Baltimore allowed its most runs since a 30-3 loss to
RSS