Letter.

Letter Published in The National UAE on 29July 19 Basketball shapes the lives of girls in Gaza Basketball shapes the lives of girls in GazaOur readers have their say on sport in Palestine, the migrant crisis and dogsI refer to your excellent article Basketball stars Academy: ­Inside Gaza’s new sports club for girls (July 27).Ashleigh Stewart and Fady Hanona’s article was a great read. Today, as it always has, sport is playing a vital role in shaping the lives of young people.That a basketball club for girls has been created inGaza shows just how important this is.The United States is known for basketball teams and academies, with players from all over the world flocking there. Playing the sport will give young people a connection to a wider world, which is very important.Gaza, even with all its problems, has taken a bold step with this initiative. The future of sports is much broader than just football and cricket.K Ragavan, Bengaluru