RIYADH, 18 January 2008 — Four students from the International Indian School in Riyadh won gold medals in the 12th CBSE National Athletic Meet held last week at the Maharajah’s College Grounds in Cochin in the southern Indian state of Kerala.
“ This was a great victory which brought honor to our institution,” Manzar Jamal Siddiqui told Arab News, adding that it was the first time such an achievement has been made by an Indian overseas school in the Gulf. He disclosed that the 13 boys and 11 girls were qualified for the meet but the school was able to send only the boys’ team for the event due to various reasons. “The boys who participated in the meet brought honor not only to the school but also to the entire Indian students in the region.”
“ Unlike the Indian students back home, our students here have less facilities to get their training in athletics,” the principal said, pointing out that he had to send the boys for the nearby stadium of the College of Physical Education which has allowed two days a week for the Indian school students to do their practices.
Around 2,500 athletes from 250 schools took part in the four-day event of which 11 clusters were from India and five were from the Gulf.
The principal further added that the credit for this unprecedented victory goes to parents, staff, management committee and coaches who taught competitive skills to take part in the events with other students from all parts of India.
The coaches include Mohammed Wasique, Syed Ali, Mohammed Sirajuddin and Khan Ishfaq Ali.
The Indian school team was escorted by Mohammed Wasique, coach and the team anager Seyed Ali and Padmini U. Nair.
Mohammad Nasim of Class XII, captain of the school team, Ayoob of Class XII, vice-captain, Syed Maaz Ali of Class XI and Ahmed Barjis of class XI won the gold medal in the 4x100-meter relay race. The other finishes included Mohamed Yahrya’s sixth position in the 4x400 meters Relay, Uzayr Abdullah Abdusamad Siddiqui’s sixth position in the 4x400 meters Relay and Saad Omer Mirza’s sixth position in the 4x400 meters Relay race and participation in the 800 meters and 1500 meters.
In addition to athletics, the students in Riyadh have regular practices in cricket, table tennis, badminton, basketball, netball, volleyball and soccer. The school hopes to take part in more games next year in similar events in India, Siddiqui said.
