Winners will benefit from tailored development programmes and mentoring from experienced motorsport professionals at Iron Dames.
Mir will compete in the Iron Dames Young Talents selection round in Italy on July 29-30
Nine-year-old Atiqa Mir, from Kashmir, has been shortlisted for the Iron Dames Young Talents programme. The new initiative has been launched by the same squad that made history last year as the first all-female team to win a race in the World Endurance Championship (at the 2023 8 Hours of Bahrain).
Mir is the only racer from Asia to be shortlisted for the first selection round that will be held at Italy’s Franciacorta karting track on July 29-30.
First selection round in Italy on July 29-30
Mir has top three results in the DAMC and UAE IAME Series
Iron Dames Young Talents programme
Iron Dames says the main goal of its new Young Talents initiative is to “identify and develop young kart racers between the ages of eight and 13”. A total of 20 young female racers have qualified for the selection round at Franciacorta, where they’ll compete in a series of scouting events.
Junior racing giant Prema Racing will help assess the candidates based on their driving skills, work ethic and “ability to embody the spirit and attitude of the Iron Dames”. Those who impress will earn the chance to join the Iron Dames stable and benefit from tailored development programmes, mentoring from experienced motorsport professionals and access to world-class training facilities.
Besides being the only Asian, Mir is also the youngest racer shortlisted in the Mini Category. “I’m truly honoured to be shortlisted for the Iron Dames Young Talent selection process. It motivates me further to perform and improve my skills as a driver. I will work hard and prepare myself better than ever to come out on top in the selections and make India proud,” she said.
Atiqa Mir: Climbing up the karting ladder
Mir has already built an impressive racing resume with outings in India, the UAE and Europe. She started karting at the age of six and made her competitive debut in 2021. Since then, she’s gone on to finish third overall in the 2023-24 DAMC (Dubai Autodrome Motorsports Club) Cup and second overall in the 2023-24 UAE IAME Series Rookie Championship.
Of course, racing runs in Mir’s blood. Her father, Asif Nazir Mir, was India’s first National Karting Champion and also raced in Formula Asia. “[My motorsport journey] started when I was three-four years old, watching my dad race at the Dubai Kartdrome,” Mir told Autocar India. “He gives me a lot of tips on the track, and we practice everything on our home simulator, which I drive on every day.”
Mir had competed in the Indian National Karting Championship in 2022. And she’s back this year, competing in all five rounds in the Micro Max category this time, racing for team MSport. And she’s already made a podium appearance, having finished third in Round 1.
This year, she also had her first taste of racing in Europe as part of the CEK (Campeonato de España de Karting) series. “The drivers are really competitive there,” she shared. “But the tracks there are like my style. That’s why I’m getting better and progressing.”
We’ve seen growing female participation in motorsport recently, further propelled by the new F1 Academy and even the success of Iron Dames. But there’s still a long way to go. “There are only three-four girls [competing in Europe with me], so not many, but they’re more than in Dubai. But that motivates me a lot,” added Mir.
She already has her sights on F1 and highlights Max Verstappen as a racer she looks up to. “I want to race in F1 because it’s the top 20 best drivers of the world, so it’s really rare to compete with them. I want to be the first girl driving in F1, and I want to do what’s never been done before.”
Khan is a professional bodybuilder from Hyderabad and has earned many national and international titles including a silver medal in Mr World Body Building Championship, in the heavyweight category.
Internationally acclaimed Bodybuilder Mir Mohtesham
Hyderabad:
A celebration was held in Hyderabad’s Media Plus Auditorium to celebrate Mohtesham Ali Khan, who received the prestigious national award ‘Bharat Ke Anmol’ for his journey of determination, perseverance, and excellence in the realm of bodybuilding and fitness.
Khan is a professional bodybuilder from Hyderabad and has earned many national and international titles including a silver medal in Mr World Body Building Championship, in the heavyweight category.
The event which was held on Sunday, August 14, witnessed the presence of dignitaries and supporters who gathered to honour Khan’s accomplishments.
The chief guest Abdul Khayyum Khan, minority affairs advisor for the government lauded Khan’s unwavering commitment to his craft.
Other prominent figures including AIMIM leader Ather Farooqui, BRS leader Khaleequr Rahman, Pathergatti Corporator, Syed Sohail Quadri and chairman of Vandhe Bharat, Ramesh Eppalapalli were also present at the event.
The felicitation ceremony was organised by the founder and CEO of Ethos Imagination, Varaprasad who emphasised that the evening was not merely a tribute to Mir Mohtesham Ali Khan’s individual accomplishments but also a testament to the power of dedication and hard work.
At the event, Khan expressed his heartfelt gratitude to everyone who contributed to his journey and stood by him both during challenges and triumphs.
source: http://www.siasat.com / The Siasat Daily / Home> News> Hyderabad / by Sayma Ahmed / August 13th, 2023
Kashmir’s Wushu Sisters, Ansa Chishti and Ayeera Chishti brought laurels to India by clinching Gold medals in the Russian Moscow Stars Wushu International Championship.
The ongoing championship started in Moscow on 28 February and will conclude on March 5, 2024.
Both players performed exceptionally in their respective weight categories of 52 and 56. They beat their Russian opponents in the finals and made their fans proud as well as the entire sports fraternity of J&K.
J&K Sports Council Chief Nuzhat Gull asked people to cheer the two bright women sportspersons fromthe Valley on X:
Both players performed exceptionally in their respective weight categories of 52 and 56. They beat their Russian opponents in the finals and made their fans proud as well as the entire sports fraternity of J&K.
This is the 3rd International medal for Ayeera as she won Gold in Georgia and Bronze in the World championship in Indonesia earlier. Now it’s 3rd consecutive medal in the international Wushu Championship and last year she was also shortlisted for the State Award.
Ayeera is the 1st Wushu Female Athlete who was shortlisted for this prestigious award. Similarly, Ansa, who won the 2nd Medal in the international Wushu Championship, had won Silver in the Georgia International Wushu Championship.
With today’s medal, she has won her 1st Gold medal in an international championship. Notably, both players are National Champions in their weight category as they won many medals in National championships.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by ATV / March 04th, 2024
Shabnam Shabbir Shaikh of Aambijalgaon, Maharashtra, trashes stereotypes of Indian women. Having picked wrestling as her field, this 28-year-old woman has broken all the shackles that a girl child faces while growing up in a small village.
Hailing from the village Aambijalgaon, Karjat, of the district Ahmednagar Shabnam was born in Jammu where her father Shabbir Sarabhai Shaikh was posted in the Indian Army. She is the third child of her parents and she grew up seeing her mother Rizwana Begum looking after the house and the family. However, Shabnam’s father always wanted his daughter to be brave, self-reliant, and break social stereotypes.
A great votary of women’s education Shabbir Shaikh encouraged his wife Rizwana Begum to complete her MSc degree after their marriage.Due to her father’s frequent postings across the country, Shabnam did her schooling mostly at the Army schools in Ambala, Udhampur, Srinagar, and Ahmedabad. After her father’s retirement, the family settled in their native village and Shabnam joined the local school.
She joined the 11th class in the Dada Patil College, Karjat, in the science stream. despite an irregular and sluggish bus service to Karjat, she somehow managed to study and also attend coaching for wrestling.
Coach Shabnam with her team
Shabnam completed her Bachelor of Physical Education (BPE) from Aurangabad (Sambhajinagar). She also got a diploma certificate in Coaching from the National Institute of Patiala, Punjab, and later did her Master’s from Babasaheb Ambedkar Marathwada University and then registered for her PhD studies.
Shabnam’s wrestling career began at the age of seven with her father as her coach. Shabnam says, “’My father is my first guru.”
Shabnam came from a family of wrestlers: her grandfather Sadarbhai Shaikh and great-grandfather were well-known wrestlers in the area. Their ancestral house has a wrestling arena where she watched male members of her family and neighbours practice wrestling.
Shabnam had to face the scorn and disapproval of her extended family and relatives when she started practicing wrestling. People even asked her family why she was allowed to wear shorts.
Shabnam at the convocation of the University
Shabnam started with Kabaddi, a game that requires a lot of alacrity and stamina.
Initially, she did not get to enter the arena where her brothers wrestled, so she took to Kabbadi. “I used to think that if I wrestle and win that will be my victory. Even if I lose, it will also be my failure. Will happen… I expressed my desire to wrestle to my father. He responded positively.”
Shabnam’s father had a precondition for training her. He wanted her to concentrate on training and practice for the first two years. She started receiving training from her father and two elder brothers.
Every morning at 4 o’clock she was sent to pick lemons from their farm located about 10 km away. She learned the nuances of wrestling and participated in her first competition in Ludhiana (Punjab). She bagged a silver medal and there started her winning streak.
Shabnam says, “Once in my village, my father came to know about a competition in Delhi. I was just 10 years old at that time. He gave me a paper with the address written on it and a train ticket and wished me good luck for the journey.”
At that time she wondered why she was going alone, ‘Why don’t my parents come with me? But my father always used to tell me that some battles in life have to be fought alone,” she says going down memory lane.
Shabnam Shaikh with her trophy
Shabnam won the title of ‘Women Maharashtra Kesari’ in 2010. She has won the gold medal in ‘Shirdi Kesari’ for three consecutive years since 2009, the gold medal in ‘Latur’ in 2011, gold medal in the ‘Maharashtra State Kustigir Parishad’ competition for six consecutive years.
She has also participated in four inter-university competitions, 10 national competitions, and more than 15 state-level competitions. In the national level ‘Great Bharatkumari Wrestling Competition’, Shabnam is the first winner not only from the Muslim community but also from Maharashtra.
Shabnam says her father taught her that one doesn’t need an outer veil. “Always keep the veil that differentiates between good and bad people in front of your eyes!” he told her.
Shabnam says, “People used to question my parents’ ways. A girl should not play sports like wrestling. Teach her to fast (during Ramazan) and pray. Don’t you want only boys to play wrestling? Hundreds of questions were asked but my parents did not let the pressure of society affect me.
“My father never changed his opinion under the pressure of society. He never let these things affect my game. I always got the support of my parents and my elder brothers.”
Shabnam’s mother Rizwana Begum says, “I have not two, but three ‘sons’! My brothers did not give me a share of our parents’ property. But, I will not let this injustice happen to my daughter. I will give her everything she deserves. Shabnam has brought glory to us. As a mother, I will always be proud of her.”
Shabnam’s thesis for her Ph.D. degree is ‘Comparative study of emotional maturity of rural and urban women wrestlers in Maharashtra’. She toured the entire state for research.
Shabnam is the first woman in India to do a doctorate in sports studies. While doing her Ph.D. in Wrestling, there were often deliberate attempts to embarrass and thwart her effort to earn a doctorate.
In the year 2017, Shabnam was selected as the junior coach of the Wrestling Women’s Association of India; she imparted wrestling training to Anushka Sharma and Salman Khan for the film ‘Sultan‘. Shabnam has represented India in Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan.
She currently works as a ‘Senior Trainer’ in the ‘Wrestling Women’s Association’ of India. India has never had success in the ‘World Women’s Wrestling Championship’ till now. However, in the ‘Under-20 World Championship’ of 2023 India won seven medals in ‘Women’s Wrestling’. Out of these, three are gold medals.
Shabnam Shaikh after her victory in a foreign location
Dr. Shabnam Shaikh is today known as the ‘International Wrestling Coach.
Shabnam says, “I was selected as the coach of ‘Maharashtra Team’ for the national tournament held in Gujarat last year. Twenty-four hours ago, my name was canceled! I was not given any idea about this.”
“Many times, despite having the right credentials and qualifications, I am not given a chance. Probably, because I live with self-respect! I always think that when someone asks me, “How did you get all this?’ I should proudly tell him, ‘I have earned it through my hard work.’
Shabnam says, “Wrestling gave me identity. Sometimes I wonder, ‘Is wrestling a curse or a blessing for me?’ Initially, relatives and other people of the society hated seeing me wrestle.
“Later, when I started winning competitions, people would post the news of my success on their ‘status’ on various social media platforms and write the caption, ‘Congratulations and best wishes to our sister or relative.’
After reading the news of my winning, I became everyone’s relative at that time! But, they speak against me on behind my back! However, now they hesitate to speak against me openly!”
Shabnam says, “Most of the time I am rejected for marriage. I play wrestling. The suitors who come to see as a potential candidate for marriage, see my trophies and see ‘Doctor’ written next to my name. When they go home their answer is, ‘We don’t want such an educated girl.'”
Shabnam continues to work hard to ensure that other girls do not face what she has.
Her advice to the youth: “No matter what happens, do not get tired. Do not give up the fight.” Her dream is to build a wrestling center for girls.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by Chaya Kaveri / February 29th, 2024
Uttar Pradesh’s highest honour Yash Bharti award was given to 46 personalities on Monday. Among them, nine Muslims were conferred the award by Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav in presence of Mulayam Singh Yadav. The award is given annually by Culture Department of UP government.
Yash Bharti comes with a cash prize of Rs 11 lakh, citation and a shawl. The awardees are also eligible for a monthly pension of Rs 50,000 for their life.
Yash Bharti award were constituted in 1994 by the then CM Mulayam Singh Yadav but were discontinued between 2007 and 2012 by Mayawati. It has since been revived by CM Akhilesh Yadav.
1. Ustad Ghulam Mustafa Khan Classical singing Born- 3 march 1931, Badaun
Belong to Rampur Sahaswa Gharana in classical singing. Conferred honorary citizenship of Baltimore and Maryland in 1986. Padamshri in 1991, Sangeet Natak Academy Award in 2003, Padam Bhushan in 2006 and Rashtriya Tansen Award in 2008.
2. Professor Irfan Habib Historian Born-12, August 1931 in Baroda. D.Phil from Oxford
Chairman, Indian Council of Historical Research 1987-93, 1993-96. Jawaharlal Nehru Fellowship in 1968-70, D.Lit from BHU (2008), Vishwa Bharti (2008), Kalyani Vishwavidyalaya (2009), North Bengal University (1990) and Ravindra Bharti University (1989). Padam Shree in 2005.
3. Dr Nahid Abedi Sanskrit literature and philoshophy Born—12 February 1961, Mirzapur D. Lit from Lucknow University in 2009. Padam Shree awardee. Several books and papers published in Sanskrit.
4. Iqbal Ahmed Siddiqui Ghazal singer Born—November 9, Allahabad
Performed at All India Radio and Doordarshan. Released 17 cassettes. Sang one song in film Rama O Rama.
5. Anwar Jalalpuri Urdu poetry and writing Born—6 July 1947
Several awards on Urdu poetry like UP Gaurav Samman, Mati Ratan Samman, Iftikhar-e-Meer Samman etc.
6. Dr Nawaz Deobandi Poet and educationist Born—16 July 1956, Saharanpur
Chairman, UP State Urdu Academy. Established Rafiqul Mulk Mulayam Singh Yadav Urdu IAS Study Center in Lucknow. Several awards like Kaifi Azmi award, Dushyant award, Rotary award etc.
7. Aleemullah Siddiqui Artist Born—10 June 1953, Lucknow
Artist using stem of wheat plant, painting on cloth etc. Acted in play Dilli Ka Akhirir Mushaira and Main Urdu Hoon.
8. Imran Khan alias Imran Pratapgarhi Literature Born—6 August 1987 Pratapgarh.
Internationally acclaimed poet and attended Mushairas in Oman, Bahrain, Dubai, Sharjah etc. Received Urdu Academy award in Saudi Arab, Red Cross Society Orissa’s Vishist Vidyarthi award and Sadbhavna award by Maharashtra Municipal Corporation.
9. Wazeer Ahmed Khan Chess Born—4 February 1947, Rampur
Participated in Chess National B competition in 1972, 1980, 1995, 1999, 2004 and 2008. UP Champion in 2004-2005. First prize in Asian Senior competition in Iran in 2015.
source: http://www.twocircles.net / TwoCircles.net / Home> Arts-Culture / by TCN Staff Reporter / March 22nd, 2016
The hijab-clad Karate maestro Shaheen Akhtar, 52, barely looks what she is — a 4-time National Champion in Karate, chopping her way surgically in all top events worldwide, is now appointed the first and only woman ‘Officiating Referee’ at the ongoing 19th Hangzhou 2022 Asian Games in China.
Packing up her bags to serve as the International Technical Official or Officiating Referee, Shaheen is a smiling but simple granny whose daughter Sana Hava and son Ayaan Ansari are also National Champions in Karate.
She learned her first Karate kicks, stances, punches, blocks and chops aged 13 while a schoolgirl at the Christ Church School, Byculla, excelled while studying for her B.Com degree from H.R. College, Churchgate and loved it enough to make it a full-fledged professional career as a ‘karateka’.
Over four decades since, she has punched her way from Youth League to Premier League to South Asian Championships to Asian Championships to Commonwealth Championships to World Championship events globally, earning medals and honours for her discipline and laurels for the nation, both as a participant and as a referee.
“In Hangzhou, I shall be the Officiating Referee for all events of Karate at the men’s and women’s events scheduled between October 5-7, with top champions participating from 42 Asian countries… It’s a very crucial responsibility,” said Shaheen softly, in a chat with IANS.
Discussing her upcoming challenges as Officiating Referee, Shaheen said that “handling pressure” will be the most critical part of her assignment — when over two billion pairs of eyes from all over Asia will scrutinise her every move and decision.
“All countries are coming there and vying for the medals… Besides the top-class champions from all countries in the ring, there will be top games experts from different countries, sports officials, VIPs, judges and viewers in the stadium and at their homes… Any wrong decision on my part can lead to havoc right inside the stadium,” Shaheen added.
Inside the ring, when the medal-hungry champions from different competing nations would be lunging at each other, the experience will be another trial even for Shaheen, herself an established and acclaimed figure in the sport.
“My job will be to control these rivals in the ring, command them to obey and adhere to the rules of the games, if they falter then there are levels of warnings, penalties, etc. to rein them in… And all under the watchful eyes of many,” Shaheen smiled.
Only on rare occasions, the moderator ‘Kansa’ (Match Supervisor) intervenes and also equally rarely the ‘third umpire’ or the video review supervisor, mainly while appealing for points is resorted to, she explained patiently, without clenching her deadly fists or flailing her arms.
In her new role, the former 4-time National Champion, 6-time Maharashtra Champion, a 8th Degree Black-Belt holder, Shaheen is also the highest and most qualified World Karate Federation and Asian Karate Federation female Referee in the country and in South Asia.
Now, Shaheen is passing on the baton to the gen-next through SAMA (Shaheen’s Academy of Martial Arts) affiliated to Karate India Organisation, and striving to groom future state-national-international champions and referees.
“I hope my long journey inspires the younger generations to take up Karate as a serious and viable career option… India has tremendous untapped potential and there could be many young champs waiting in the wings to grab their moment of glory given the right opportunity…I am always here to help anybody,” Shaheen declared.
source: http://www.muslimmirror.com / Muslim Mirror / Home> India> Indian Muslims> Sports / September 25th, 2023
India’s Nikhat Zareen bowed out in the women’s 50kg semi-final after losing 3:2 to Thailand’s Chuthamat Raksat. Parveen Hooda is assured a medal in the women’s 57kg.
(Boxing Federation of India (BFI))
Two-time world champion Nikhat Zareen finished her campaign in the women’s 50kg event with a bronze medal at the Asian Games 2023 boxing tournament in Hangzhou, the People’s Republic of China.
Nikhat Zareen lost her semi-final bout against Thailand’s Chuthamat Raksat by a 3:2 split decision. Zareen and Raksat faced each other in the quarter-finals of the world championships earlier this year and the Indian boxer had come out on top then.
In Hangzhou, both Nikhat Zareen and Chuthamat Raksat started the bout cautiously, the two only able to land soft punches with measured jabs. In the final round, the Thai boxer managed some decisive hooks to take control and won the bout by the barest of margins.
“My experience was great. I had very good bouts in these Asian Games,” Nikhat said. “Today, unfortunately, I couldn’t win the semi-final match against Thailand. But it’s fine, I will take this as a learning lesson.
“I’ll definitely come back stronger. I’ll learn from my mistakes from this competition, and I definitely look forward to that.”
Earlier in the day, Parveen Hooda made it to the women’s 57kg semi-finals by defeating Sitora Turdibekova of Uzbekistan by unanimous decision. The 23-year-old Indian boxer, by virtue of making the top four, secured a maiden Asian Games medal as well as a quota for the Paris 2024 Olympics next year.
However, as National Olympic Committees have the exclusive authority for the representation of their respective countries at the Olympic Games, athletes’ participation at the Paris Games depends on their NOC selecting them to represent their delegation at Paris 2024.
Boxing at the Asian Games 2023 is also a Paris 2024 Olympics qualifier event. In men’s events, the gold and silver medallists in each of the seven weight divisions will be issued a quota to Paris 2024. In the women’s categories, four quotas will be on offer for all categories other than the 66kg and 75kg, for which there will be two berths on offer like men’s.
Parveen Hooda will face Chinese Taipei’s Lin Yu Ting in the semi-finals on Wednesday.
Meanwhile, Jasmine Lamboria missed out on a medal after she lost by RSC (referee stops count) in the women’s 60kg quarters against Ungyong Won of the Democratic People’s Republic of Korea. The Indian boxer endured three standing counts in a space of one minute before the referee stopped the bout.
source: http://www.olympics.com / Olympics.com / Home / by Anurag Peesara / October 01st, 2023
India’s Mohammed Hussamuddin finished his IBA World Boxing Championships campaign in Tashkent, Uzbekistan with a bronze medal on Friday.
India’s Mohammed Hussamuddin finished his IBA World Boxing Championships campaign in Tashkent, Uzbekistan with a bronze medal on Friday.
Hussamuddin was forced to give a walkover to Horta Rodriguez Del-Rey of Cuba in the 54-57kg semifinals due to a knee injury sustained during his quarterfinal bout, the Boxing Federation of India (BFI) said in a tweet.
Against a taller opponent landing blows from a long range, the Indian southpaw connected a few headshots to claim the first round 3-2.
Hussamuddim relied on his ring craft to stay marginally ahead in the second period and matched the Bulgarian in the physical third round, which witnessed both going all out, to emerge triumphant.
The Haryana boxer defeated Russia’s Eduard Savvin in the pre-quarters.
Mohammed Hussamuddin’s background
Hailing from a family of boxers, Mohammed Hussamuddin is the youngest of six brothers, four of whom are seriously entrenched in the sport. Hussamuddin, whose role model is Vasyl Lomachenko, two-time Olympic Champion, was afraid to don the gloves until his father and coach, Mohammad Shamsuddin, got him to shed that fear and trained him at the Collectorate grounds in Nizamabad, north Telangana.
Commonwealth Games champion Hussamuddin had upset fifth-seeded Bulgarian Javier Ibanez Diaz 4-3, via bout review, in a closely-contested fight in the quarterfinals.
The 29-year-old went on to outshine his siblings and established himself in the state-level competitions before moving on to the national scene, making his debut in the 2009 junior Nationals at Aurangabad, claiming bronze. He turned it into gold in his debut at the senior nationals.
The boxer’s potential was spotted early and in 2011, he was sent to a fortnight-long stint of training and competition to Havana, Cuba, before participating in the 2012 Tammer Tournament in Finland and later in the Youth World Championship in Yerevan, Armenia.
His barren-run on the international stage ended with bronze at the 2015 Military World Games. Since then, he has been on the up and today he has evolved into one of the finest boxers in the country in his weight category.
With a bronze in Commonwealth Games 2018 and a gold in the Chemistry Cup, Hussamuddin continued to shine and bag silver at the Gee Bee Boxing Tournament in 2019. He won silver at the Boxam International in march 2021 and finished 2022 with bronze medal at CWG and Asian Championships.
source: http://www.sportstar.thehindu.com / SportStar / Home> Boxing / by Team Sportstar / May 12th, 2023
Syed Abdul Rahim and Ajay Devgn in the poster of Maidaan
In an era of Indians recognizing their unsung heroes and reviving their memories, a biopic on Syed Abdul Rahim, India’s most successful football coach, is all set to be released on June 23.
The teaser of the film Maidaan featuring Ajay Devgn as the legendary coach of the Indian national football team was released by Zee Films recently. It has already crossed 35 million views of YouTube in five days.
Under Syed Abdul Rahim’s guidance, the Indian team was rated as one of the most powerful teams in the sport, and the period – 1952-1962 turned out to be the golden period of Indian football.
The teaser opens with the resounding music of A R Rahman and the powerful image of the Indians playing Yugoslavia (a country now spilt into Bosnia and Herzegovina, Croatia, Macedonia, Montenegro, and Serbia) in heavy rain.
It seems the bare-footed Indians lost the match against Yugoslavia as Rahim (Ajay Devgn) is shown in tears in the teaser. The film is produced by Bonny Kapoor.
According to reports, from his early days, this Hyderabad-born Rahim spotted talented boys on the football fields of Hyderabad and trained them to cobble up an Indian team.
With him as the coach of the national team, India finished fourth in the Melbourne Olympics and won the gold medal in the Asian Games of 1962 beating Japan and Korea.
Although Rahim is credited for ushering in the Golden Era of Indian football, he passed away unsung. He was never conferred with any award and many say he was too focused on coaching and never mingled with leaders or influencers to get noticed by them.
Maidaan’s teaser is a 90-second clip that tells the story of a fight against the odds by Rahim and his Indian team. The trailer opens with monochrome shots from the 1952 Summer Olympics held in Helsinki (Finland). India fared badly on that occasion and lost 10-1 to Yugoslavia in the preliminary round.
The resounding defeat did not discourage Rahim; instead, it brought out his fighting spirit.
He studied the training methods used by the European teams. Rahim studied their training and tactics and then modified the same to suit Indian conditions. He realized that Indian players had less physical stamina and there was no point copying the European methodology.
Rahim adapted the European ways to suit the Indians and it worked wonders. It must have taken Rahim’s meticulous planning and precision in training the Indians that helped the team perform great in the next Olympic Games in 1956 when India defeated Australia
On 1st December 1956, India stunned the world with the team’s excellent performance and defeating host Australia 4-2. Ace striker Neville D’Souza scored a hat trick and Krishnaswamy scored one goal.
This match is an abiding memory of the glorious era of Indian football.
Today, Indian football fans are disappointed to see Australia plays in the final phase of the FIFA World Cup while India has dropped to the bottom. Indian team employs expensive foreign coaches and support staff but the results are not commensurate with the efforts and expenses.
Sources said the filmmakers had consulted the Football legend’s son S.S. Hakim who died in 2021. Hakim was an Air Force officer who had played in the Olympics and was a highly qualified coach and referee too.
In the film, Ajay Devgn speaks the Hyderabadi (Deccani) version of Urdu. After many delays due to the pandemic and other reasons, the film is scheduled for a theatrical release on 23rd June 2023.
source: http://www.awazthevoice.in / Awaz, The Voice / Home> Story / by ATV, posted by Aasha Khosa / April 15th, 2023
The less fancied 27-year-old Rahman dished out a cool calculated performance to outshine the experienced Pasha and smoothly cruise to a deserving 25-0, 21-16 without much ado.
Unassuming sixth seed Abdul Rahman of Uttar Pradesh cornered all the glory recording an authoritative straight sets victory against international and fourth seed Zaheer Pasha of Reserve Bank of India (RBI) in the men’s singles final of the 49th Senior National Carrom Championship on Monday.
The less fancied 27-year-old Rahman dished out a cool calculated performance to outshine the experienced Pasha and smoothly cruise to a deserving 25-0, 21-16 without much ado and clinch his maiden crown in the national championship organised by the All-India Carrom Federation (AICF) and hosted by the Maharashtra Carrom Association (MCA).
In the women’s competition, international and fifth seed Kajal Kumari of PSPB (Petroleum Sports Promotion Board) overcame the spirited challenge from fourth seed Nilam Ghodke of JISL (Jain Irrigation System Limited) snatching victory in two closely-contested sets, 15-12, 17-10 to emerge champion.
Pasha, who had knocked out teammate and top seed Prashant More in the semi-finals, was erratic and surprisingly missed some easy shots which proved to be his downfall.
In contrast, Rahman played steadily and confidently executed his shots and gradually gained the momentum which he hung on to throughout the contest, which turned out to be a one-sided affair.
In the first set, Rahman settled down quickly and won the first six boards to pocket the set 25-0 and open up a 1-0 lead. Pasha showed signs of fighting back as he won the opening two boards to take an 8-0 lead in the second, but Rahman bounced back and steadily won the next three and with the eight points won on the fifth board he jumped to a 20-8 points lead.
Pasha managed to win four points in the sixth to narrow the lead to 12-20, but he lost a close seventh board as Rahman led 21-12 going into the 8th and final board. Pasha was left with an uphill task of getting 10 points from the final board and he tried his best but lacked consistency and with that, his hopes of staying alive faded away. Rahman capitalized on every chance to sink his black coins and ensure his success.
Meanwhile, Mantasha Iqbal of AAI (Airports Authority of India) defeated Debagani Tamuly of DASCB (Defence Accounts Sports Promotion Board) 8-25, 19-15, and 22-11 in the women’s third-fourth place match.
In the men’s third-fourth place match, Maharashtra’s Sandeep Dive defeated World champion and top seed Prashant More of RBI 25-19, 18-1.
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