Al- Istiqlal University won the first and third positions after participating in three events during the 2017/2018 Central Track Athletics Tournament which were organized by the Palestinian Athletics Federation in coordination with the Department of Sports Activities which belongs to the Deanship of Student Affairs on the campus of Al-Istiqlal University.
The students, Ishaq Abu Sneineh and Majdi Abu Qaraya who participated in the contest, obtained three positions as Abu Sneineh won the first position of the 100m and 200m races, while Abu-Qaraya won the third position of the 800m race.
For her part, the World Olympic athlete Mayada Al-Sayyad, the representative of Palestine in the Diaspora, gave her first place in the 800m race to Al-Istiqlal University. The 1st Lt. Mohammed Al-Shami from the Military Department valued this generous contribution of the international contestant, Al-Sayyad. “this is an honor for Al-Istiqlal University to obtain this gift" he said. He also thanked the students participating in the championship representing Al-Istiqlal University.
The Military Department supervised the preparation and training of students who represented the University. Lieutenant Samed Hamad said that his department had made an effort in training the students to obtain the honorable result of the first place.
At the end of the tournament, the winners were honored with medals distributed in the presence of the Vice President for Military Affairs at Al-Istiqlal University, Colonel Salman Taysir Abdullah, the President of the Palestinian Athletics Federation, Mazen Al-Khatib, and a representative of UNDP.
It is noteworthy that a number of Palestinian universities and sports clubs in the West Bank and Gaza participated in the tournament with a total of 250 players, sponsored by the Palestinian Olympic Committee, with the support of the UNDP and the Japanese government.