Displaced Gazan Karate Champ Forges a Future in Egypt

Palestinian Karate-ka, 18-year-old Mais Elbostami, trains in a park near her home, east of the Egyptian capital Cairo on June 25, 2024. (AFP)
Palestinian Karate-ka, 18-year-old Mais Elbostami, trains in a park near her home, east of the Egyptian capital Cairo on June 25, 2024. (AFP)
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Displaced Gazan Karate Champ Forges a Future in Egypt

Palestinian Karate-ka, 18-year-old Mais Elbostami, trains in a park near her home, east of the Egyptian capital Cairo on June 25, 2024. (AFP)
Palestinian Karate-ka, 18-year-old Mais Elbostami, trains in a park near her home, east of the Egyptian capital Cairo on June 25, 2024. (AFP)

On October 6, 2023, Palestinian karate champion Mais Elbostami went to bed thrilled after winning a competition in the Gaza Strip. She awoke the next day to a different world.

"I'd won first place," the shy 18-year-old told AFP from a Cairo suburb, where her family now lives after escaping the war and where she is training in the hope to one day represent her country internationally.

She said she "hadn't even hung up the medals" she won on October 6 before Hamas fighters launched an unprecedented attack on Israel that resulted in the deaths of 1,195 people, according to an AFP tally based on Israeli figures.

Immediately, she and her family fled south from their home in the northern Gaza Strip as Israel launched a relentless retaliatory military campaign.

Over the past nine months, the war has reduced much of the besieged Palestinian territory to rubble and killed more than 38,000 people, according to Hamas-run Gaza's health ministry.

Amid the hell of bombing and displacement, "every hour that passed felt like it aged you by a year", said Elbostami.

Death was all around her.

"In the first 10 days alone, I lost my coach Jamal al-Khairy, and his granddaughter who used to train with me," she said.

When the family made it to the Egyptian capital in April, Elbostami had two things on her mind: making sure relatives back home were safe, and getting back to her karate training.

- 'Raise the flag' -

Despite being trapped in Gaza, Palestinian national team coach Hassan al-Raiy put her in touch with the Egyptian team, and within two weeks she was back on the mat.

"My coaches here in Egypt have practically adopted me, and they're working with me so I can get good enough to compete in the next championships," she said.

Whenever she can, she spars on the mat. But with limited resources and gym time, Elbostami has also had to train in the streets and gardens around her house.

She often finds her mind wandering to Gaza's Mediterranean shore.

"Training back home was different. Every Friday my teammates and I would go and train by the sea," she said.

Karate is known for its strong focus on discipline and self-control, and this has helped the young karateka to "detach from reality" -- living as a refugee from a brutal war -- even for a little while.

"My emotions sometimes get the best of me. There are times I can't get through a full session" without remembering "fleeing on foot as air strikes fell all around us", she said.

Elbostami tries to focus on her goal -- "to represent my country and raise its flag in international competitions".

- 'It's for my country' -

She has a long way to go, and her first stop on that journey is Egypt's own national championships in August.

"It's a tough challenge," she said, because Egyptian karate athletes have historically outperformed their Palestinian counterparts."

"But it will bring my level up, too."

Elbostami's Egyptian coach, Mamdouh Salem, told AFP that the teenager was an "athlete with a lot of potential, dedication and persistence".

"We're working on her technique, but ultimately karate is more a game of skill than talent -- I expect Mais will excel."

He said he wants to help her raise the Palestinian flag around the world.

"If we can't fight with them" in Gaza, "we can at least help them represent their country abroad", he said, echoing widespread Egyptian solidarity with the Palestinian cause.

Her Gazan teammates, coaches and most of her relatives may remain trapped in Gaza -- and she said dozens of them have been killed -- but against all odds, Elbostami has survived.

"So I don't have any excuse to keep me from achieving my goal," she said.

"I'll do everything I can to highlight the Palestinian cause. Every championship and every time I represent Palestine, it's for my country, for the martyrs and for the wounded."



Guardiola Signs 2-year Contract Extension at Man City, Eyes 'More Trophies'

(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
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Guardiola Signs 2-year Contract Extension at Man City, Eyes 'More Trophies'

(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)
(FILES) Manchester City's Spanish manager Pep Guardiola gestures on the touchline during the UEFA Champions League, league phase football match between Manchester City and Inter Milan at the Etihad stadium, in Manchester, north-west England, on September 18, 2024. (Photo by Oli SCARFF / AFP)

Pep Guardiola committed himself to Manchester City for another two years on Thursday and quickly set his sights on adding to his record-breaking reign.
Guardiola ended uncertainty about his future by signing a contract extension that would prolong his tenure as City manager to 11 seasons.
“I have said this many times before, but I have everything a manager could ever wish for," said the 53-year-old Catalan coach, whose current deal was due to expire at the end of this season. "Hopefully now we can add more trophies to the ones we have already won. That will be my focus.”
Guardiola has overseen a period of unprecedented dominance since joining City in 2016. He has gone on to win six Premier League titles in seven years at the Etihad Stadium and also won the Champions League. In total, he has won 15 major trophies at the club.
He has set new benchmarks, with City becoming the first team to win four-straight English league titles and the first to amass 100 points in a single season in 2018. He also led City to the treble in 2023, winning the Premier League, Champions League and FA Cup in one season — matching Manchester United's achievement in 1999.
“Manchester City means so much to me. This is my ninth season here. We have experienced so many amazing times together. I have a really special feeling for this football club,” Guardiola added in his statement. “That is why I am so happy to be staying for another two more seasons.”
Publicly, Guardiola gave no indication about whether he would stay on even as he entered the final months of his contract, The Associated Press reported. That led to speculation about potential successors, but City remained hopeful he could be convinced to sign another extension.
He has already managed City for longer than any his former clubs, having spent four years at Barcelona and three at Bayern Munich.
City Chairman Khaldoon Al Mubarak said he was “delighted” that Guardiola is staying.
“His hunger for improvement and success remains insatiable and the direct beneficiaries of that will continue to be our players and coaching staff, the culture of our club, and the English game at large,” he said.
“This renewal will take Pep beyond a decade of coaching Manchester City and the opportunity to continue to re-write the managerial record books.”
Guardiola's new deal comes at a time when City's Premier League dominance appears to be under threat. The four-time defending champion has lost four games in succession in all competitions — the worst losing streak of Guardiola's managerial career.
Guardiola is widely considered one of the greatest managers of all time, having been a serial winner at Barcelona, Bayern and City. He has won 33 major titles with those clubs, including three Champions League trophies.