Gold for Palestine: Karate’s Mariam Bsharat a rare sporting success

Mariam Bsharat, 17, has won her second under-21 World Karate Championship gold medal, competing for Palestine in Poland in October. Her achievement stands out because athletes from the Palestinian territories face obstacles including restricted travel, limited access to training and funding, and persistent security fears.

Raised in Nablus in a karate family, Bsharat said she initially took up the sport because her relatives did, before growing to love it. She competes below 66 kilograms and now lives in Hamburg with her mother and siblings, having moved to Germany last year; her father remains in Palestine and visits when he can. Bsharat said Germany has opened opportunities for her, while leaving home has brought personal challenges and the pressure of representing her family and country.