Women's basketball event excites war-weary Somalis

MOGADISHU (Reuters) – The stadium was packed for the women's basketball tournament in the bombed-out capital of staunchly Islamic Somalia.Sports events are an unusual and welcome diversion for many residents of Mogadishu, torn by a two-year-old insurgency of suicide bombings, assassinations and indiscriminate artillery attacks.
But women's tournaments are even rarer in the Muslim country, attracting droves of eager spectators who filled the seats of the crumbling, colonial-era Italian stadium of Ex Lucino more than an hour before the start.Supporters of two rival teams from the city -- Heegan and Horseed -- began cheering "Defeat them! Defeat them!," long before the players appeared on court for the semi-final of the contest that ends this week.Faduma Yareey, 22, plays for Heegan. Two years ago when she started playing basketball, she told Reuters, some of her neighbours had condemned the practice as against the Koran.
"But now there are no problems," Yareey said, warming up for the game in a headscarf, soccer shirt and tracksuit pants...more..http://news.yahoo.com/s/nm/20090125/od_uk_nm/oukoe_uk_somalia_basketball