Paintball Libya
Paintball Libya is a paintball venue in Janzour, Libya, documented through contemporary photographs and reporting from 2012. Its Facebook page records recreational play and inflatable paintball fields. Photographic coverage published under the title Championship PAINT BALL LIBYA 2013 documents competition in Tripoli and a separate tournament at Commando Paintball in Benghazi in July 2013.[1][2][3]
History
[edit]Photographs published by Paintball Libya on 14 March 2012 show a field with green and yellow inflatable bunkers. Another photograph, published on 10 May 2012, shows a red inflatable arch bearing Max's branding.[1][4]
On 6 December 2012, Libya Monitor reported the opening of a paintball centre in Janzour, describing a site covering approximately 10,000 square metres.[2] The earlier photographs establish that inflatable paintball equipment was being used before that report; they do not establish the venue's founding date.[1][4]
July 2013 tournaments
[edit]An advertisement published on 16 July 2013 announced a paintball tournament in Janzour for 24 July 2013.[5] WE Entertainment subsequently published photographs in an album titled Championship PAINT BALL LIBYA 2013. The album contains separate groups of photographs captioned as Tripoli and Benghazi coverage.[3]
Tripoli
[edit]Photographs published on 26 July 2013 identify the location as Tripoli and show players using inflatable bunkers, including a red arch.[3][6] Together with the earlier advertisement, these provide evidence of an advertised tournament and subsequent competition photography. The upload date alone does not establish the date on which the photographed matches were played.[5][6]
Benghazi
[edit]A separate group of photographs published on 27 July 2013 explicitly identifies Commando Paintball Benghazi' and gives the event date as 26 July 2013.[3]
Further photographs, published on 30 July 2013 with the caption “Crowned champion”, show trophy presentations and groups posing with cups. Their captions again identify Commando Paintball Benghazi and the date 26 July 2013.[7][8] These photographs document a tournament and an awards presentation, but the cited captions do not identify a winning team or provide match scores or final standings.
The Benghazi tournament was a separate event from the competition advertised for Janzour on 24 July.[3][5][7]
Historical context
[edit]The July 2013 events took place during Libya's unstable transition following the 2011 civil war and the overthrow of Muammar Gaddafi. They preceded the renewed conflict of 2014, which escalated following the launch of Operation Dignity in May that year.[9]
References
[edit]- Paintball Libya, photograph of green and yellow inflatable bunkers, Facebook, 14 March 2012.
- Libya Monitor, “New paintball centre opens in Janzour”, 6 December 2012.
- WE Entertainment, “Championship PAINT BALL LIBYA 2013”, Facebook photograph album, uploads dated 26, 27 and 30 July 2013.
- Paintball Libya, photograph showing a Max's-branded inflatable arch, Facebook, 10 May 2012.
- Paintball Libya, advertisement for the tournament scheduled for 24 July 2013, Facebook, 16 July 2013.
- WE Entertainment, Tripoli championship photograph showing players beside an inflatable arch, Facebook, 26 July 2013.
- WE Entertainment, “Crowned champion”, Benghazi trophy presentation photograph; caption identifies Commando Paintball Benghazi and 26 July 2013, Facebook, 30 July 2013.
- WE Entertainment, “Crowned champion”, photograph of a group posing with a trophy; caption identifies the Benghazi tournament, Facebook, 30 July 2013.
- Council on Foreign Relations, “Instability in Libya”, Global Conflict Tracker.