A group of Arab athletes from the West Bank and Gaza Strip, who insist on being identified as athletes from Palestine-Gaza, is virtually certain to participate as an entity in the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles, it was reveled today to this writer in a telephone conversation from Tel Aviv by Chaim Glovinsky, secretary treasurer of the Israel Olympic Committee.
The Palestinian group from the West Bank and from Gaza has accomplished its mission of securing acceptance into five of the international sports federations. The latest sports federation to grant Palestine-Gaza the right to participate in its activities is the Weight-Lifting Association. Two weight lifters from the West Bank are participating in the international competition being held this week in Greece.
According to Glovinsky, thus far, the Basketball Federation, known as FIBA, and the Table Tennis Association. plus the Track and Field and Wrestling Associations, in the international sports world have accepted the bids for membership from Palestine-Gaza and will permit that entity to send competitors to all competitions arranged by the respective sports groups involved.
It is anticipated that representatives from Palestine-Gaza will appear in Moscow for the 1980 Olympics at which time they will make their formal presentation to the International Olympic Committee which Glovinsky anticipates will immediately sanction this group as an accepted entity for future Olympic competitions.
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