The highly anticipated Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games, originally planned for November in Thailand, have been rescheduled to February 2024. This marks the second time the tournament has been postponed, with the 2021 edition disrupted by the Covid-19 pandemic.
This year's event is facing delays due to financial constraints coinciding with elections.
The Olympic Council of Asia (OCA) announced the decision to postpone the Games on Saturday, setting the new dates from February 24 to March 6.
In 2017, the Maldives sent a contingent of 37 athletes to the Asian Indoor and Martial Arts Games held in Turkmenistan. The multi-sport event encompassed a diverse range of disciplines, including swimming, indoor athletics, billiards, chess, and futsal.
During the tournament, Maldivian athletes set six national records. Aishath Sajina achieved records in both the 100m and 50m breaststroke events, while Aishath Saushan made her mark in the 50m breaststroke. Mubal Azzam set records in the 100m and 200m individual medley, while Ali Imyan set a record in the 50m breaststroke event.
In athletics, Ibrahim Ashfan Ali and Ahmed Anoof Mohamed demonstrated their exceptional skills in the highly 60m sprint event, while Mohamed Naail and Ali Shaam competed in the 400m sprint.
The billiards discipline saw Ali Fayaz reach the best 16 round after defeating a player from Kyrgyzstan, marking a historic achievement for the Maldives in an international league.
In chess, Maldivian player Mohamed Shuau emerged victorious against opponents from Macau, Nepal, and Thailand, while Ahmed Ashraf triumphed against players from Jordan and Macau. Female players Shahudha Mohamed and Nihaya Ahmed also demonstrated their skills by defeating players from Afghanistan.
In the futsal events, the Maldives faced tough competition and lost all group matches. In their first match, they were defeated 3-1 by the UAE, followed by a 6-1 loss to Afghanistan in their second match. They faced further challenges in their subsequent matches, losing 9-1 to Uzbekistan and 9-3 to China in the final match.
Sign In
