ISLAMIC SOLIDARITY GAMES
The Islamic Solidarity Games are an international multisport competition (Arabic: ). The Organisation of Islamic Cooperation’s top athletes compete in a range of sports during the Games. The original purpose of the Solidarity Games was to boost Islamic unity and uphold Islamic principles, especially among young people. The Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) and the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) are the bodies in charge of organizing and administering the Islamic Solidarity Games. The ISSF works to strengthen Islamic unity, advance Islamic identity in sports, and lessen prejudice towards Muslims.
HISTORY
Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdul-Aziz came up with the initial concept for the Solidarity Games at the Third Islamic Summit in 1981. The Organization of the Islamic Conference now has 57 members, and the first Solidarity games were held in Saudi Arabia in 2005. The 2005 games had 7,000 competitors from 54 nations competing in 13 different sports, and they were exclusively for men. Women can now compete in the games, however they do so on different days than men. The Games are open to non-Muslim citizens of the participating nations. Apart from the Olympic Games, it was claimed to have the most participants of any sporting event.
A disagreement between Iran and the Arab World over the use of the term “Persian Gulf” in logos for the Games—some Arab nations use the term “Arabian Gulf” instead—led to the cancellation of a second event, which was initially planned to take place in Iran in October 2009 and was later rescheduled for April 2010. The dispute over the name has frequently caused tension between Iran and Arab nations. The most recent iteration took place in Baku from May 12 to 22, 2017.
The durability of the games will be a major problem given the degree of political polarization, the lack of economic development in many Muslim nations, and the cost of the Islamic Solidarity games.
2022 ISLAMIC SOLIDARITY GAMES
The Islamic Solidarity Games are a global multisport competition. Organized by the Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation, it features athletes from the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (ISSF). Non-Muslim nations may also participate in the event. See also the Islamic Games for Women.