Palestine’s Qasim makes history

Qasim Abudabaat made history when he registered Palestine’s first victory in a major international competition. 

The 21-year-old knocked out Sri Lanka’s Chamara Kumara Marasinghe in the first round of middleweight (75kg) category at the Asian Championships preliminaries.

“Qasim’s win was the first by a Palestinian in a major international competition. It was a small success, but it’ll motivate and encourage others in our country,” said Palestine coach Nader Jayousi. “Our boxers have to work really hard to match the best in Asia.” 

Nader felt Palestine should focus on grass-roots programmes and also increase participation at international events.