Mohamed Sobah, popularly known as Chey, has been elected as the President of the Maldives Surfing Association (MSA) for a second term.
Sobah, one of the founders of the Surfing Association, was first elected as President in 2019.
During his initial tenure, he introduced a surfing league and organized numerous tournaments. Although he encountered financial challenges, including a debt of MVR 2 million, Sobah is optimistic about repaying the debt during his second term.
Youth development and expanding surfing events to various regions will be key priorities in his upcoming term. He aims to teach young kids to surf and spark their interest in the sport.
"We will try to take the tournament to those areas so that even more athletes can compete in the tournaments," Sobah said.
Che plans to enhance the quality of tournaments by training technical officials. He also initiated environmental conservation as a paramount concern, and Che intends to raise awareness and protect the waves for future generations.
Some members of the surfing community expressed satisfaction with Che's first-term performance.
They highlight his efforts to establish a junior national team, introduce women's divisions in tournaments, and bring greater exposure to the sport, particularly in local communities.
Prominent surfers, such as Hussain Areef and Ahmed Agil, acknowledge Che's contributions to the development of surfing and its recognition as an official sport in the Maldives. Former national champion Hood Ahmed expresses optimism for Che's second term, in light of all he had achieved in his first term as President.
Sobah credits much of the Surfing Association's achievements over the past four years to the support of Sports Minister Ahmed Mahloof. He said that Mahloof played a vital role in establishing an association office and facilitating collaborations with foreign coaches to benefit local athletes.
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