by Sanaa Kamal
GAZA, June 6 (Xinhua) -- Ali Ahmed, a 15-year-old Gazan boy, spends hours a day skateboarding, a sport which he equates to "flying in the sky and experiencing freedom" with his own hands.
Ahmed is one of many Gazan teenagers who turned to sports, mainly skateboarding, to relieve psychological stress brought on by the region's endless conflicts.
"I got scared when I heard large explosions and assumed that I would die at any moment as a result of Israeli raids," he said, adding he became nervous, introverted, and sometimes had a proclivity towards violence when conflicts ended.
According to a report issued by the Palestinian Central Bureau of Statistics in 2021, more than 70 percent of Gazans suffer from depression and psychological stress due to the deterioration in various aspects of life resulting from the instability that dominates the region.
Rounds of clashes between Gaza and Israel have put psychological pressure on Ahmed and his friends for many years, according to Ahmed.
"While the battle may be over, the memories of it live on. They live on in our memories, depriving us of the opportunity to live in safety. They also make it impossible for us to believe that the future will be better one day," he said.
After the Gaza-Israel conflict in 2014, Ahmed decided to explore skateboarding at the age of eight and gradually realized it was a way to relieve his psychological pressure.
"When I became a professional in this sport three years ago, I truly tasted freedom for the first time in my life ... I forget all my fears and psychological stresses that the harsh situations in Gaza may cause me just here (in the stadium)," he said.
Since joining the skateboarding sport two years ago, Ahmed al-Sharifi, now at 12, has noticed a significant change in himself. He became more fond of playing with friends and sports, rather than being reclusive and spending extended periods of time on his phone.
Skateboarding has enabled him to "see another scene of Gaza that differs from being a region of conflicts, wars, and death," according to al-Sharifi.
Both Ahmed and al-Sharifi were among the dozens of Gazan boys coached by Rajab Al-Rifi, a 26-year-old who began skateboarding in 2014 after receiving training from an Italian sports team that visited Gaza.
Since he began promoting skateboarding among Gazans by uploading short videos on the Internet, the number of Gazans who participate in the sport has grown to more than 200, up from just seven at the start.
Seeing the sport has grown in popularity among Gaza's youth, al-Rifi expressed hope that one day his dream of competing in international tournaments, which has been impossible owing to a tight siege imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007, will be realized.
