The First Sports Festival took place between Oct. 5 and Nov. 4 in the Free Syrian Army-controlled Eastern Ghouta area, in Rif Dimashq province, despite the tight siege and shelling that 400,000 residents are subjected to.

More than 1,100 participants across all age groups took part in 17 sports activities, which included track and field, wrestling, equestrian, soccer and basketball, despite the shelling and crimes by the Russian and Syrian regime air raids. The war imposed on the Eastern Ghouta cities and towns halted the festival between Oct. 12-15 and destroyed some stadiums and civilian festival locations in Harasta, Saqba and Arbin.

This sports festival is the first of its kind in southern Syria in the last five years, which took place under the supervision of the Executive Sports Committee in Rif Dimashq, which is affiliated with the Syrian General Committee of Sports and Youth, and in cooperation with the Syria Regional Program. The Syrian General Committee of Sports and Youth is an anti-Assad civilian nongovernmental sports organization formed in 2014 that is concerned with the affairs of the athletes in rebel-held areas.

Local and civilian figures, as well as revolutionary institutions in Eastern Ghouta, including the Syrian Civil Defense, the Syrian Red Crescent, local councils in Eastern Ghouta, the local council of the Rif Dimashq, the unified rural relief council, the unified services’ council, the Islamic Legitimate Committee, the free police command and tribal councils, attended and took part in the festival.