Islamic Solidarity Games
ألعاب التضامن الإسلامي
AbbreviationISG
First event2005 Islamic Solidarity Games in Mecca, Saudi Arabia
Occur everyFour years
Last event2021 Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey
Next event2025 Islamic Solidarity Games in Yaoundé, Cameroon
PurposeMulti-sport event for member countries of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation
HeadquartersRiyadh, Saudi Arabia
OrganizationIslamic Solidarity Sports Federation
Websiteissf.sa

The Islamic Solidarity Games (Arabic: ألعاب التضامن الإسلامي) is a multinational, multi-sport event. The Games involve the elite athletes of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation who compete in a variety of sports. The Solidarity Games were initially created to strengthen Islamic camaraderie and reinforce the values of Islam, primarily to the youth.[1] The Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation (ISSF) and the Organization of the Islamic Cooperation (OIC) is the organization that is responsible for the direction and control of the Islamic Solidarity Games.[2] The ISSF strives to improve Islamic solidarity, promote Islamic identity in sports and help reduce discrimination toward Muslims.[1]

History

The original idea for the Solidarity Games comes from Prince Faisal bin Fahd bin Abdulaziz, during the Third Islamic Summit in 1981.[1] The first Solidarity games was held in 2005 in Saudi Arabia and there are currently 57 members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference.[3] In 2005, the games were male-only with 7,000 athletes from fifty-four countries competing in thirteen different sports.[4] Females are now allowed to participate in the games but compete on different days than men.[5] Non-Muslim citizens in the member countries are also allowed to take part in the Games. It was said to have the most participants for a sporting event aside from the Olympic Games.[1]

Opening ceremony of the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games in Konya, Turkey

A second event, originally scheduled to take place in October 2009 in Iran, and later rescheduled for April 2010, was canceled after a dispute arose between Iran and the Arab World over the use of the term Persian Gulf in logos for the Games, as some countries in the Arab world use the term "Arabian Gulf" instead. Dispute over the name has been a recurring source of disharmony between Arab states and Iran.[6] The latest edition took place in Baku, on 12–22 May 2017.[7][8]

With the level of political fragmentation, the deficiencies in economic development in many Muslim countries, and the financial cost of the Islamic Solidarity games, the longevity of the games will be a big challenge.[1]

‌The 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games were the 5th edition of the event. It was the first time that the event was organised by the Turkish Olympic Committee. Scheduled to take place in 2021, the event was postponed to be held in 2022, because the original dates were coinciding with the 2020 Summer Olympics, which were postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The 2025 Islamic Solidarity Games will be the first ever not to be hosted in a Muslim majority country. The elected host city, Yaoundé, is the capital of Cameroon, where the Christian population exceeds 70% of the population, while around 25% is Muslim. Cameroon is a member of the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation.

Editions

Islamic Solidarity Games Host
Year Games Host Dates Opened by Nations Competitors Sports Events Top nation
I 2005 Saudi Arabia Mecca 8 – 20 April Abdul Majeed bin Abdulaziz Al Saud 55[4] 7000[4] 15 108  Saudi Arabia
II 2010[lower-alpha 1] Iran Tehran Cancelled
III 2013 Indonesia Palembang 22 September – 1 October Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono 57 1769 13 183  Indonesia
IV 2017 Azerbaijan Baku 12 – 22 May Ilham Aliyev 54 6000 21 268  Azerbaijan
V 2021[lower-alpha 2] Turkey Konya 9 – 18 August 2022 Recep Tayyip Erdoğan 55 4200 19 380  Turkey
VI 2025 Cameroon Yaoundé 6 – 15 August Future event
  1. Originally scheduled for 2009, and later re-scheduled for 2010, was cancelled after a dispute arose between Iran and the Arab countries.
  2. Originally scheduled for 2021, the Games were postponed by one year due to the COVID-19 pandemic. However, the event was still referred to as the 2021 Islamic Solidarity Games to preserve the 4-year cycle.

Sports

28 sports have been presented in the Islamic Solidarity Games.

Sport Years
Archery () 2013
Athletics () Since 2005
Badminton () 2013
Basketball () Since 2005
Boxing () 2017
Bodybuilding () 2025
Diving () Since 2005
Equestrian () 2005–2013
Fencing () 2005–2013, 2021
Football () Since 2005
Sport Years
Futsal () 2005 only
Gymnastics () Since 2017
Goalball () 2005 only
Handball () Since 2005
Judo () Since 2017
Karate () Since 2005
Rhythmic gymnastics () 2017
Shooting () 2017
Swimming () Since 2005
Sport Years
Table tennis () Since 2005
Taekwondo () Since 2005
Tennis () Since 2005
Volleyball () Since 2005
Water polo () Since 2005
Weightlifting () Since 2005
Wrestling () Since 2017
Wushu () Since 2013
Zurkhaneh () 2017 only

Medal count

All-time Islamic Solidarity Games medal table (as of 2021)
RankteamGoldSilverBronzeTotal
1 Turkey (TUR)237207199643
2 Iran (IRI)11897106321
3 Azerbaijan (AZE)1149985298
4 Uzbekistan (UZB)665896220
5 Indonesia (INA)567888222
6 Egypt (EGY)465149146
7 Kazakhstan (KAZ)423656134
8 Morocco (MAR)403868146
9 Saudi Arabia (KSA)373341111
10 Malaysia (MAS)33234197
11 Bahrain (BHR)23131551
12 Algeria (ALG)224065127
13 Kyrgyzstan (KGZ)14152756
14 Iraq (IRQ)13171343
15 Qatar (QAT)881430
16 Jordan (JOR)862236
17 Kuwait (KUW)7171034
18 Turkmenistan (TKM)7102845
19 Syria (SYR)751426
20 Oman (OMA)471122
21 Tunisia (TUN)442937
22 Cameroon (CMR)391224
23 United Arab Emirates (UAE)361423
24 Nigeria (NGR)36211
25 Pakistan (PAK)331016
26 Gambia (GAM)3104
27 Uganda (UGA)26311
28 Senegal (SEN)241521
29 Sudan (SUD)1539
30 Tajikistan (TJK)14914
31 Bangladesh (BAN)1348
32 Djibouti (DJI)1337
33 Ivory Coast (CIV)11810
34 Libya (LBA)1168
35 Burkina Faso (BUR)1124
 Oman (OMN)1124
37 Guinea-Bissau (GBS)1012
 Mozambique (MOZ)1012
 Niger (NIG)1012
40 Guyana (GUY)0336
41 Yemen (YEM)0167
42 Lebanon (LBN)0134
43 Palestine (PLE)0123
 Suriname (SUR)0123
45 Albania (ALB)0101
 Brunei (BRU)0101
 Guinea (GUI)0101
 Mali (MLI)0101
 Togo (TOG)0101
50 Afghanistan (AFG)0077
51 Benin (BEN)0011
 Maldives (MDV)0011
 Sierra Leone (SLE)0011
Totals (53 entries)93692811993063

See also

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 Amara, Mahfoud (2008). "The Muslim World in the Global Sporting Arena". Brown Journal of World Affairs. XIV: 2 via Academic Search Complete.
  2. designthemes. "Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation | Islamic Solidarity Sports Federation". issf.sa. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  3. "Islamic Solidarity Games". www.topendsports.com. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
  4. 1 2 3 "The Islamic Games: 'Love, friendship and humility'". The Independent. 2005-04-10. Retrieved 2019-11-10.
  5. "The problem Islamic Solidarity Games begin in Baku". Turan Information Agency. May 11, 2017.
  6. Ap, Riyadh (17 January 2010). "Islamic Solidarity Games cancelled after gulf row divides nations". London: Guardian/Associated Press. Retrieved 18 January 2010.
  7. "Baku wins the 2017 Islamic Solidarity Games hosting bid". Hürriyet Daily News. 29 July 2013. Retrieved 29 July 2013.
  8. "Baku 2017". www.baku2017.com. Archived from the original on 2017-06-22. Retrieved 2017-05-05.
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