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Draft:Ahmed Matar (Parkour)

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  • Comment: Draft was resubmitted unchanged by an anon editor. Please address the reasons for which the draft was rejected, before resubmitting. Thank you. Wikishovel (talk) 22:04, 15 September 2024 (UTC)
  • Comment: The other article seems to have been recently created. This can redirect there until there is evidence that Ahmed is independently notable. References here are mostly in the context of his groups joined/formed. AngusW🐶🐶F (bark • sniff) 01:46, 14 September 2024 (UTC)

Ahmed Matar

Early Life and Background

Ahmed Matar, born on March 19, 1996, in Khan Younis, Palestine, is a professional freerunner and stuntman from Gaza, Palestine. He is also the founder of Wallrunners, the first parkour facility in Palestine. Matar has a diverse background in physical training, having been introduced to various martial arts and dance forms at a young age.[1][2][3]

Biographical Overview

Matar’s early interest in sports was encouraged by his father, Ibrahim Matar, who enrolled him in a martial arts academy at the age of four. Matar trained in Kung Fu, Taekwondo, Capoeira, and breakdancing for five years. At the age of nine, he met Mohammed Al-Jakhbir and Abdallah Inshasi, who inspired him to pursue parkour.[4][5][6]

Career and Achievements

Matar’s career took a significant turn in 2016 when he was invited to the World Parkour Championships in Helsingborg, Sweden. Despite numerous visa challenges, he successfully participated in the event and remained in Sweden.[7]

Upon relocating to Sweden, Matar lived with a Swedish family in Svenshögen, working on a farm for five months to cover his accommodation. In 2017, he began offering parkour training for children in Stenungsund, teaching over 500 children. He then joined the Swedish parkour association Stampede Freerun as a parkour coach, creating several parkour films with his colleagues.[8]

In 2018, Matar moved to Stockholm and dedicated himself to coaching for the organization Sports Without Borders. He taught parkour to over 15,000 children across 30 schools in the Stockholm region. In 2019, he co-founded Wallrunners with Tom Vaillant, establishing the first parkour gym in Palestine.[9][10][11][12][13]

Theatrical Work

In 2022, Matar expanded his artistic endeavors into theater. He performed at Dramaten, the Royal Dramatic Theatre in Stockholm, in the play Exit Parkour. The production featured Matar alongside actors Melinda Kinnaman, Tanja Lorentzon, Tina Pour-Davoy, David Mjönes, and dancers Kevin Foo and Sofia Sangregorio. Matar’s role in the play involved sharing his personal story and integrating parkour into the theatrical narrative.[14][15]

Filmography and Television

  • Wallrunners of Gaza (2017) - Film[16]
  • Scream (2022) - TV series[17]
  • Exit Parkour (2022) - Theater[18]
  • Yalla Parkour (2022) - Film[19]

Notable Achievements

  • Founder of the first parkour gym in Palestine, Wallrunners.[9]
  • Featured as an inspiring story in The Local newspaper in 2019.[8]
  • Third place at Chase Tag Sweden in 2019.[1]
  • Third place at the Street Mentality competition in 2019.[1]
  • First place in the qualifying rounds of the Swedish Championships in 2021 (unable to compete in the finals due to injury).
  • Awarded the Peace Through Parkour prize in 2021 by the International Parkour Federation (IPF).[20]

Current Work

Matar currently resides in Stockholm, where he continues to develop his personal brand, Matar Gaza.[1]

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b c d "About – Matar". Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  2. ^ impolitikal (2017-01-31). "Q&A | Ahmad Matar: Learning parkour in Gaza made me feel free". IMPOLITIKAL. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  3. ^ "War-torn Gaza is perfect setting for Ahmad Matar's parkour - video Dailymotion". Dailymotion. 2017-12-06. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  4. ^ "The Gaza parkour group taking back a part of their city". Huck. 2022-08-31. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  5. ^ "Gaza parkour - creating positive ripple effects amongst the ruins". Moa Dickmark. 2014-11-25. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  6. ^ "Parkour in Gaza". Fovrth Studios. 2018-02-01. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  7. ^ "Every day since I came to Sweden feels like a dream". NYParkour.com. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  8. ^ a b https://www.thelocal.se/20180409/every-day-since-i-came-to-sweden-feels-like-a-dream-from-gaza-to-gothenburg-through-parkour. {{cite news}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  9. ^ a b Staff, Mens Health (2022-01-14). "How Gaza's Daring Community of Athletes Are Finding Their Own Kind of Peace". Men's Health Magazine Australia. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  10. ^ "How it all began — Wallrunners". 2022-11-04. Archived from the original on 2022-11-04. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  11. ^ "'Open Gaza' book brings together architects, environmentalists and more on rebuilding Gaza". WCBU Peoria. 2024-01-01. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  12. ^ Radosh, Noa (2016-08-29). "Collective Rooftop Jump: Conquering the Art of Parkour". Medium. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  13. ^ "The first Parkour school in Gaza opens its doors! - Fondation Decathlon". www.fondationdecathlon.com. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  14. ^ Holmström, Cecilia. "VIDEO: Ett hopp blev vägen till frihet för Ahmed: "När jag gör min parkour glömmer jag allt"". vasabladet.fi (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  15. ^ "Parkour intar Dramatenscenen | Svenska Gymnastikförbundet". www.gymnastik.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  16. ^ www.redbull.com https://www.redbull.com/ph-en/parkour-in-gaza. Retrieved 2024-09-13. {{cite web}}: Missing or empty |title= (help)
  17. ^ Streams (Comedy), Felipe Leiva Wenger, Pontus Bjernekull Mörner, Boba Ean, Sveriges Television (SVT), 2020-09-24, retrieved 2024-09-13{{citation}}: CS1 maint: others (link)
  18. ^ "Exit Parkour". www.dramaten.se (in Swedish). Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  19. ^ "Featuring". Yalla Parkour. Retrieved 2024-09-13.
  20. ^ "History of IPF – International Parkour Federation". Retrieved 2024-09-13.
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