Ramallah, Palestine, January 7, 2025: The Palestine Olympic Committee held an Extraordinary General Assembly on Saturday, January 4, during which it was decided to extend the term of the Executive Board for another four years due to the impossibility of holding elections.
The decision was unanimously agreed on with the understanding that the General Assembly would meet after a year to consider the matter again.
Palestine Olympic Committee President Major General Jibril Rajoub, who chaired the General Assembly, highlighted the difficult and challenging circumstances facing Palestinian sports in light of the ongoing Israeli aggression on the West Bank, Gaza Strip and Jerusalem.
Rajoub expressed his hope that, despite the challenges, Palestinian sports federations would focus on working to select and qualify athletes for the Los Angeles 2028 Olympics.
He called on all sports federations to develop a clear strategy and programme, and to benefit from the expertise and infrastructure of friendly countries to qualify athletes.
Rajoub also reiterated the need for unity of the Palestinian national sports movement, both at home and in the diaspora.
The General Assembly also approved the appointment of three new Executive Board Members - Olympic swimmer Valerie Tarazi, representing women’s sports, Ziad Al-Baqaei, representing the diaspora, and Dr. Nasser Al-Lahham, representing the national media.
Tarazi is Chair of the OCA Gender Equity Committee and took part in the recent OCA Safeguarding Workshop in Bangkok.