Mihaaru Awards held a colourful evening with local sports stars at Kaafu atoll Maafushi island last Saturday.
The new prestigious sports awards, launched by Mihaaru newspaper, held the “Sports Stars Fiesta” under its corporate social responsibility (CSR) programme. The fiesta provided an opportunity for renowned sportspeople and sponsors of Mihaaru Awards to mingle and enjoy fun activities with the children of Maafushi.
The guests were warmly welcomed by the students and teachers of the island school, and members of Maafushi Island Council. Donning beautiful garlands prepared by teachers, the guests were escorted to the site of the fiesta by the youth of Maafushi, with many cultural performances.
The Sports Stars Fiesta featured a range of stalls prepared for children, where they could enjoy various activities like face-painting and sports.
Students of Maafushi School in colourful costumes had also prepared a number of dances for the guests, while the popular local singer, Ibrahim “Kuda Ibbe” Zaid Ali, and his band gave several performances.
One of the most notable events at the fiesta was the friendly race between children and Hassan Saaid, the athlete who became a household name after bringing home the first international gold medal in athletics to the Maldives. Saaid, who is currently ranked number four in Asia, had also posed for pictures with the children.
Other prominent names that took part in the fiesta include top table tennis player Mueena Mohamed, the shining volleyball star Aishath Shaffa, the swimmer who has bagged international medals Aminath Sajan, marathon record holder Ahmed Sharaf, renowned long-distance runners Hussain Fazeel Haroon and Ibrahim Zaid Shareef, and promising badminton players Maisa Fathuhullah and Aminath Shahurunaz.
Furthermore, Football Association of Maldives (FAM)’s technical director Cann Vanli, Mihaaru Awards’ chief judge Hussain Mohamed, Club Valencia’s coach Ahmed Mujuthaba, national swimming coach Ismail Farhan, and prominent runner Ahmed Athif also participated in the event.
Mihaaru newspaper and the partners of Mihaaru Awards also presented gifts to Maafushi School and the island's New Star Sports Club.
Gifts to Maafushi School included:
“Faseyha” modems by Ooredoo Maldives
Three computer systems by Allied Insurance
Gift voucher of MVR 15,000 by Veligaa Hardware
Laptop by Mihaaru and Print Lab
55-inch Smart TV by BHM Maldives
A3 Multifunction Colour Printer by Copier Plus
Gifts to New Star Sports Club included:
Sports equipment by Mihaaru and Sonee Sports
A3 Multifunction Printer by Copier Plus
“The event was very colourful and enjoyable. It was a joyful evening for everyone. We received great cooperation from our partners and the Maafushi council and school for this, especially the teachers of Maafushi School,” said an official of Mihaaru.
Describing the fiesta as a beginning, the official declared that Mihaaru Awards will organize similar events in other islands in the future.
The sports categories of the Mihaaru Awards include football, volleyball and individual sports such as athletics, table tennis, swimming and badminton. This marks the first sports awards that include individual sports to be launched in the Maldives.
The new Mihaaru Awards will present awards for 24 categories, thus making it the largest sports awards in the Maldives. These awards include best football player, most promising football player, Golden Boot for top scorer in football, best volleyball player, most promising volleyball player, best coach and referee, and the Mohamed Zahir Naseer award for Lifetime Achievement.
The main sponsors of Mihaaru Awards are telecom giant Ooredoo Maldives and Allied Insurance. The awards’ media partner is "V Media", while Think Advertising is its advertising partner. Associate partners of the awards include Sonee Sports, Total Fitness Group (TFG), Veligaa Hardware, BHM and Print Lab.
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