Dates: June 27-July 6, 2000.

The Middle East/Mediterranean Scholar-Athlete Games featured the participation of 12 Middle East countries, as well as a strong delegation from the United States. The highlight of the Games was a keynote address delivered by Israeli Prime Minister, Shimon Peres. Wally Halas, former Commissioner of the Scholar-Athlete Games program, offers his commentary on this extraordinary event.

The Middle East Mediterranean Scholar Athlete Games (MEMSAG)
By Wally Halas

This was no ordinary athletic bus trip.

As an athlete and coach, I have been on many a bus ride. Normally, you board at the school and travel to your opponent’s venue. For some special participants of the Middle East Mediterranean Scholar Athlete Games, the procedure was actually reversed.

Our mission was not to load a team at the sports complex at Tel Aviv University and compete elsewhere. Rather, I, a colleague from the Games (who was also a representative of the Israeli Olympic Committee) and our bus driver boarded with a different and single purpose in mind. We were to travel to the Allenby Bridge that connects Jericho in the West Bank to the country of Jordan. There, we would pick up twelve Jordanian youth and four coaches, and then continue our journey through the city of Ramallah to a destination in Nablus, where we would pick up another dozen Palestinian scholar-athletes, and four of their sport coaches.

The bus driver, the Games’ rep and I boarded the bus in early morning at Tel Aviv University, amongst cheers from other scholar athletes and staff, all of whom knew we were about to embark on an important mission. This would be the first time in modern history that a youth competition would gather participants from countries surrounding the Mediterranean, including those from Jordan, the West Bank and the Palestinian Authority. The cheers were an inspiration to us, as we knew we had an opportunity to help build relationships among some of the area’s future leaders.

We traveled southeast from Tel Aviv, near Jerusalem, past Jericho, and onto the Israeli terminal on the west side of the Allenby Bridge. The original bridge was built in 1918 by the British and was destroyed in 1946. It was replaced in 1968 with a temporary bridge, still called the Allenby Bridge by the Israelis, but known as the Al-Karameh Bridge to Palestinians and as the King Hussein Bridge to Jordanians. Our two hour trip to the bridge landed us at 10:00 AM, as prescribed by our schedule. We were certain that the twelve participants and four coaches had also arrived at the Jordanian side of the bridge for the 10:00 AM rendezvous.

Time passed slowly as we eagerly waited for the participants and coaches to pass through the gate. Other’s at the bridge included border guards and undercover security officers, all of whom were carrying machine guns and other concealed weapons. The only three unarmed people at the bridge were the bus driver, the Games rep and myself.

We were due in Nablus, a two hour drive, to pick up the Palestinian contingent at 1:00 PM. Our schedule allowed for an hour to greet and board the Jordanian group. We waited for an hour and forty five minutes, hoping to see young participants and their coaches burst through the gate. Finally, at 11:45 AM, twelve smiling faces ran toward the bus, with their backpacks and suitcases. I immediately reminded them that this was an historic occasion. As a group, they responded, “We too are thrilled to be part of the Middle East Mediterranean Scholar Athlete Games.”

Getting through the crowded and narrow streets of Ramallah to our next destination was no easy task. Our delay at the Allenby Bridge meant that we would be at least two hours late for our scheduled arrival in Nablus. Everyone on the bus, including the contingent from Jordan, was hopeful that the Palestinian contingent would be awaiting our arrival. As we slowly made our way through the streets, pedestrians stared at the Israeli bus traversing through Ramallah. Their faces displayed no anger, but more a curiosity regarding the unlikely sight of a “foreign” bus in their home city.

Ramallah seemed busy yet peaceful, with everyone going diligently about their business. But the road from Ramallah to Nablus seemed endless; we were a good two hours behind schedule, and as the minutes passed, we became less hopeful that the group would still be waiting. “It will be such a disappointment if we are not able to have the Palestinian contingent join in the Middle East Mediterranean Scholar-Athlete Games,” was a common theme in the bus. We knew that our objective of developing future leaders who could work with each other depended on the participation of both the young Israelis and Palestinians.

As we began to enter Nablus, our timing was made worse, as we were unaware that Chairman Yasser Arafat was in Nablus that day. Security was tighter than normal, and our two hour delay quickly turned into two and a half hours. But as we turned the corner in city center, and headed for the park, we saw twelve young faces, all thrilled to see the bus. The young participants were joined by four of their coaches.

We warmly welcomed each participant, and told them that we were aware that their courage had enabled them to join this historic program. We quickly introduced the Jordanian contingent to the Palestinian group, and both sides bonded right away. The coaches discussed strategy about their specific sports; it was a bus filled with excitement and anticipation. As we radioed Games Headquarters at Tel Aviv University to let them know that we would be bringing twenty four participants and eight coaches, we could hear cheers in the background, reflecting that the hope of MEMSAG was now becoming a reality. It was 3:00PM and our journey back to Tel Aviv University had finally begun.

But the journey continued to be far from ordinary. As we crossed back into Israel, our bus was pulled over by an Israeli border patrol. The six guards, all armed with machine guns and other weapons, meant business. Two stood outside, one in the front of the bus and one in the back. Two others held mirrors under the bus looking for possible explosive devices. The other two boarded and asked that all thirty five people on board produce the passports and papers necessary to go into Israel. As they inspected the papers, they asked four of the Palestinian youth (all boys) to exit the bus and speak to the border police. As the head representative of the Games, I accompanied the young men, ensuring the Israeli border patrol that the boys were indeed part of the program hosted by Tel Aviv University. After a series of investigative questions, two of the boys were allowed to reboard the bus and two others were taken inside the border patrol headquarters. I was not allowed in, but reemphasized that these young men were indeed part of our program. After a twenty minute interrogation, the two young men were allowed to reboard. The six person Israeli border patrol came on board and announced that they were aware of our Games and that they wished us the best. “We appreciate your patience and hope that you understand that we are doing our job, just as you are doing your job,” was their statement.

Our bus sped off in a southerly direction, going through the town of Herzliyya, home of Ilan Kowalsky, a beloved Scholar Athlete Game’s supporter since 1993. When we reached Herzliyya, I radioed Coach Kowalsky, and the visionary Games Executive Director Ari Rosensweig to say that all twenty four Jordanian and Palestinian participants remained on board, we were in Herzliyya and would arrive at Tel Aviv University within the hour. By 6:00 PM we were turning onto the campus. The other 250 participants from the United States, Ireland, Italy, Greece, Turkey, Cyprus and other countries around the Mediterranean were cheering our arrival. As each participant exited the bus, welcoming cheers turned into hugs, and the joy on everyone’s face was a heartwarming sight. The genuine friendship that was exhibited at that moment validated the efforts of many people who had worked diligently to put the historic event together.

No contest had been played, yet the objective of the Games had already been achieved. It was truly a bus trip for the ages!

With great distinction, Wally Halas served as Commissioner of the Institute’s Scholar-Athlete Games programs from 1990-2005. Wally continues to serve the Institute as a key advisor on various projects.