Halabja athletes race with message of hope
HALABJA, Kurdistan Region – About 300 young men and women took part in a mini-marathon to mark the genocide committed against the people of Halabja three decades ago.
The 5-kilometre run was organized by civil society groups with the message of bringing hope back to Halabja, the city that the former Iraqi regime attacked with chemical weapons on March 16, 1988.
Halabja native Zhelwan Hasan, 23, placed first among the women and Bnar Mohammed, 28 from the Biyara sub-district of Halabja, came in first from among the men.
Both are professional athletes.
"It is good to change sadness to happiness through sport," said Mohammed about the joy-filled event one day before the commemoration of the chemical weapon attack that killed thousands.
Mohammed plays for the Peshmerga sports club. He welcomed the event, being held for the second consecutive year.
"Such events encourage us to make further efforts to practice sports," Mohammed explained. He also teaches at Halabja sports college.
"I hope they will make better preparations in the coming years and even to try to make it an international marathon," he added.
Bnar Mohammed poses for a photo after he won the first place among men. Photo: Rudaw/Osamah Golpy
"I achieved my goal," Hasan told Rudaw English, happy she was able to take part in a race for the first time in three years.
She had not run a race recently because she was focusing on her studies and because the Kurdistan Region’s financial crisis meant there were fewer such events being held.
"We always practice, but we don't have any championships in Kurdistan and Iraq because of economic issues," she said, adding that she hopes to place first again at Sulaimani’s marathon in the near future.
Zhelwan Hassan [M] says she is preparing to take part in more such events in the Kurdistan Region. Photo: Rudaw/Osamah Golpy
Event organizers said they hope to expand the event in future years, part of a larger plan to promote a positive image of the city famous for its great tragedy.