Several players from the first Maldivian team to participate in an international sports tournament embarked on a trip to China on July 14 to commemorate the 50th anniversary of that historic event.
The first time a Maldivian sports team competed in an international tournament was in 1973 when the Maldivian table tennis team participated in the Asian, African, Latin American Friendship Invitational Table Tennis Tournament held in China.
The tournament took place from August 25 to September 5, 1973. The Maldives sent a delegation consisting of seven members, including four table tennis team members and officials, to participate in the tournament. Three members of the original delegation have since passed away
The Maldivian delegation for the Asian, African, Latin American Friendship Invitational Table Tennis Tournament in 1973 was led by the late Minister Abdulla Jameel. The captain of the team was Hasan Habeeb, who participated as a non-playing captain. The players who represented Maldives in the tournament included the late Sayyid Hassan, a renowned sports figure who achieved numerous awards during his career. Also part of the team were Adam Shareef, Ahmed Latheef, Huraa Abdul Sattar and Hassan Latheef, who is currently working in the education sector.
Ahmed Latheef, Huraa Abdul Sattar, and former number one Maldivian cricket bowler Hassan Habeeb are among the members of the team who have traveled to China for the 50th anniversary celebration. The visit, which has been coordinated by the Chinese Embassy in Maldives, is being organized by the Chinese Corporation responsible for planning and organizing cultural activities related to foreign nations.
According to Ahmed Latheef, the current Foreign Secretary and former Maldivian Ambassador to China, the Chinese corporation involved in organizing the 50th-anniversary celebration is the same one that made arrangements for the Maldivian team to travel to Peking City for the first tournament in 1973. Latheef also mentioned that they had identified a Chinese player who had competed against the Maldivian team in that inaugural tournament.
Ahmed Latheef, who was a member of the Maldivian men's table tennis team said that the team achieved the first international medal for the Maldives, a bronze medal, in 1978 during the Indian Ocean Island Games. He expressed gratitude towards China for their continuous assistance and support to the Maldives throughout these 50 years, starting from their initial participation in the first tournament.
Two years after that first tournament, China donated 3 table tennis tables and related equipment to the Maldives in 1975. China also arranged a Chinese coach for the Maldivian team during the same year.
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