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Will Palestinian beach soccer team make it to Vietnam?

The Palestinian Football Association is working with FIFA to promote beach soccer in Gaza by organizing championship tournaments in the Gaza Strip, although the athletes hold out little hope of competing abroad.

during the Beach Soccer XXXX match between XXX and XXXX on Day 0 of the 3rd Asian Beach Games Haiyang 2012 at XXXX on June 16, 2012 in Haiyang, China.
Trang D Huang of Vietnam misses a save during the Men's Beach Soccer preliminary match between Vietnam and Palestine in the 3rd Asian Beach Games in Haiyang, China, June 16, 2012. — GETTY/Ryan Pierse

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — The Palestinian national beach soccer team is hard at work training for the Asian Beach Games next month in Vietnam. But officials worry travel restrictions will keep players from attending and are calling for international help.

Since 2014, the team has been unable to take part in any competition held abroad because of limits on passage through the Erez crossing to the north, overseen by Israel, and the Rafah crossing to the south, supervised by Egypt.

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