Maldives’ men’s and women’s table tennis teams win bronze at South Asian Qualifiers

The Maldives’ men’s and women’s table tennis teams both secured bronze medals at the South Asian Qualifiers for the World Championships, held in Nepal on Wednesday and Thursday.

While both teams reached the tournament, the men’s team’s performance was particularly notable. Competing in a five-nation tournament, the bronze marked the first-ever South Asian medal for the Maldives men’s team—a significant milestone in the country’s table tennis history.

Led by experienced player Moosa Munsif Ahmed, and featuring national champions Akhyar Ahmed Khalid, Mohamed Shafan Ismail, and Zeesthu Naseem, the men’s team achieved historic wins over both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. It was the first time Maldives had defeated Sri Lanka in table tennis at a regional level.

In contrast, the women’s team—who underperformed this time. Despite that, their early performance was promising, but a table tennis expert noted the men’s team ultimately outshone the women.

“The standout story of this tournament is the men’s team. They’re showing real strength at the individual level, and there’s tremendous potential for this team to go even further in South Asia,” the expert said.

Aishath Rafa Nazim, currently pursuing her MBBS studies in the UK, returned to the Maldives for the summer and competed in the national ranking tournament last month, where she placed second. Despite Rafa’s presence, concerns were raised about the overall commitment of some members of the women’s squad.

“There are reasons behind the women's team's poor showing. Some players are not putting in the necessary work to compete at the level of Rafa and Dheema. Without dedication and hard training, it will be difficult to maintain the standard we reached during the Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG),” the expert added.

India’s men's and women’s teams won the South Asian Qualifier and will represent the region at the upcoming World Championships.