The Ministry of Youth and Sports in Gaza called for a boycott of Adidas products due to the company´s sponsorship of the international Jerusalem marathon that took place this past Friday, the Ma’an News Agency reported.

More than 15,000 runners from 50 countries took part in the standard 43 kilometer/26-mile race and various other shorter courses.

"We have spoken with the cabinet to issue a decision to boycott Adidas products because it sponsored the occupation’s municipality in Jerusalem," Director of Sports Affairs Jaber Ayyash told Ma’an. Hamas officials are planning to contact sports ministers across the Arab world to encourage them to take measures against Adidas, Ayyash said. They also plan on initiating social media campaigns on Facebook and Twitter, he added.

The Gaza sports ministry organized an event entitled "supporting Al- Aqsa, boycotting Adidas."

After a football match as part of the event, Adidas shirts were set on fire in protest against the company´s support of Israel, reported Ma’an. (IsraelNationalNews © 2012 03/18/12)