Playing rugby during Syria’s civil war

In 2004 a rugby union team was formed in the Syrian capital Damascus. It consisted of British and French players working in the country, and one Syrian: Mohamad Jarkou. As protests against Syria’s government in 2011 were met with violent crackdowns by the authorities, foreign workers began to leave the country. But it didn't spell the end for the sport, in that same year a team formed exclusively of Syrians, including Mohamad Jarkou, won the Men’s Gulf Open at the Dubai Sevens tournament. Mohamad then formed the Syrian High Rugby Committee and set about growing the game, he is now the General Secretary of Syrian Rugby. He’s been speaking to Tim O’Callaghan about how the sport thrived in a country that had become engulfed by civil war. Eye-witness accounts brought to life by archive and testimony. Sporting Witness is for those fascinated by sporting history. We take you to the events that have shaped the sports world through the eyes of the people who were there. For nine minutes, you become a fan in the stands as we take you back in time to examine memorable victories and agonising defeats from all over the world. You’ll hear from people who have achieved sporting immortality, or those who were there as incredible sporting moments unfolded. Recent episodes explore the forgotten football Women’s World Cup, the plasterer who fought a boxing legend, international football’s biggest ever beating and the man who swam the Amazon river. We look at the lives of some of the most famous F1 drivers, tennis players and athletes as well as people who’ve had ground-breaking impact in their chosen sporting field, including: the most decorated Paralympian, the woman who was the number 1 squash player in the world for nine years, and the first figure skater to wear a hijab. You can learn all about fascinating and surprising stories, such as the tennis player who escaped the Nazis, how a man finally beat a horse in a race, and how the FIFA computer game was created. (Photo: The Damascus Zenobians celebrating their win at the Dubai Sevens in 2011. Credit: Mohamad Jarkou)

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Playing rugby during Syria’s civil war is an episode from Sporting Witness by BBC.

This episode is 10:55 long.

This episode was published on Jan 31, 2026.

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