Members of Palestinian Bsharat family practice karate at a local gymnasium in the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 4, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

A member of Palestinian Bsharat family practices karate at a local gymnasium in the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 4, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Members of Palestinian Bsharat family practice karate at a local gymnasium in the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 4, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

 

Members of Palestinian Bsharat family practice karate at a local gymnasium in the West Bank city of Nablus, on April 4, 2021.(Photo: Xinhua)

 
A 32-member Palestinian family from the West Bank's city of Nablus completed the application for Guinness World Records, intending to be confirmed as the biggest family that practices karate.

The Bsharat family includes six men, five women and 21 children, and most of them perform other sports such as swimming, horse riding and boxing. Usually, the family members would gather in a local gymnasium for several hours a day to practice karate.

"It is rare to find a big family practicing such a sport," Abdullah Bsharat, a karate coach, told Xinhua, saying that his family established the team in 1994.

Back then, it only started with two brothers, who learned from their father who was once a wrestler in Kuwait. Very quickly, the team started to expand, with other siblings and Abdullah himself joining in.

For 42-year-old Abdullah, karate was only a hobby at the beginning, but it then turned into a daily routine as well as a source of income after he became a coach.

The family has a goal of spreading karate practice among Palestinians and encourage them to treat sports as habits. This was the reason that pushed Amin Bsharat, the eldest son of the family, to open his own sporting club where he trains people of all ages and both genders.

"I came up with the idea after I saw the multiple positive effects it brought to my own family," the 45-year-old father of five said. "We have become more capable of discipline, emotional stability, and self-management. We managed to get rid of the negative energy that we absorb as a result of the difficult living conditions."

For decades, Palestinians have been suffering from political, economic and social crises, something that could have a negative impact on one's psychological well-being.

"No one can deny that the new generation is busy with thinking how to escape our dire reality. They have become anxious, and they waste their time playing on mobile phones without understanding what damage it causes to their health," he said.

"The strong community needs strong people, who have healthy minds and bodies," he said, adding that he and his siblings decided to bear their responsibility for the community by sharing their experience of karate practicing with others.

However, the family's mission in creating a sports culture is not easy as many Palestinians are involved in their ongoing suffering.

Intending to make a breakthrough, Bsharat and his family members announced that they would register for Guinness World Records as the most prominent family that practices karate.

"Since that time, we have become popular in our community and a lot of people asked us to teach them how they can adopt a similar sports habit," said Shaza Bsharat, Amin's sister.

The 38-year-old mother of four expressed her happiness as they have eventually achieved what they are working for for more than 20 years.

Now, Shaza and six of her siblings are working as coaches of karate. "We are so happy as we succeeded in training hundreds of students in practicing karate, as well as encouraging them to adopt sports in their life as a habit," she said.