The Afghan cricket team closed the week of January 24th with a win over
Ireland in a 4 day match in the Intercontinental Cup. Afghanistan defeated the
defending champions Ireland by seven wickets.
There were some major developments this week as well.
First, on Monday, January 25th, the head of National Olympic Committee (NOC),
Gen. Muhammad Zahir Aghbar announced the formation of the Afghanistan Sports
Committee for the Deaf. This committee will works towards encouraging and
providing more opportunities for deaf athletes to participate in various sports.
On Tuesday, January 26th, Afghanistan's football (soccer) team left for
Bangladesh to participate in a 10-day, eight-nation soccer tournament. The
Afghan team is scheduled to play its first match against India on Friday, the
second match will be against Pakistan on Sunday, and the third match will be
against Sri Lanka on Wednesday.
December 15, 2009: Afghanistan to play against
the United States in Cricket
The
ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers will take place next year in the United Arab
Emirates from February 9 -13. Both the United States of America and
Afghanistan were grouped in Group A and are scheduled to play against each
other on February 11, 2010. Other teams in Group A include Scotland and
Ireland. Overall in the event, there will be a total of 17 matches, and
they will be split over five days. Six games will be played in Sheikh Zayed
Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and 11 games will be played in Dubai Sports City. The
Super Four matches and final will also be played in Dubai.
September 28, 2009: Afghanistan will
participate in the Kyokushin Karate World Tournament
For
the first time ever, an Afghan team will participate in the All Kyokushin
Karate World Tournament which will be held from October 2nd to the 4th in
Budapest, Hungary.
The Afghan national team will leave tomorrow, and will be represented by 3
fighters in two weight classes. Ghulam Mahboub Rahimi will participate
in the 70kg weight division, and Mohammad Qahar Azadani and Ahmad Sha Afzali
will compete in the 80kg division. 58 countries, 20 other Kyokushin
organizations, and 461 competitors in 9 divisions will participate in this
year's tournament.
Many believe that this will be the biggest Kyokushin tournament in history.
For more information on Afghanistan's team, visit the official site at:
www.kyokushinkan.af.
July 20, 2009: Afghan climbers conquer
Afghanistan's highest peak
Two
mountaineers (Malang Jan Darya and Amruddin Sanjar) made history on Sunday by
becoming the first Afghans to successfully climb Afghanistan's highest peak.
The two men planted Afghanistan's flag on the top of the 7,492-metre
(24,580-foot) Mount Noshaq. They had started their expedition on June 26;
before that, they spent nearly a month training in the French Alps. Both
Malang Jan Darya and Amruddin Sanjar live in the valley that leads to Mount
Noshaq. Noshaq was first conquered by Japanese climbers in 1960. Noshaq is
the second highest peak of the Hindu Kush after Tirich Mir in Pakistan, and
the 52nd highest peak in the world.
July 8, 2009: Afghanistan Water Polo Team's Tentative
U.S. Schedule
Jeremy B. Piasecki, the coach of the Afghanistan Water Polo team announced
this week that the team now has a tentative schedule for their visit to the
United States. Most of their time will be spent in California, however, they
will also spend most of November in Denver, Colorado. The complete tentative
schedule is as follows:
TBD-10/31/09
Vista, CA
11/1/09-11/24/09
Denver, CO
11/25/09-12/19/09
Coronado, CA
12/20/09-1/17/10
Commerce, CA
1/18/10-3/31/10
Southern California
4/1/10-7/31/10
Vista, CA
Video Dedicated To The Team
June 2, 2009: Mr. Afghanistan 2009 Title
The
annual national bodybuilding competition was held today at the Cinema Hall in
the Shar-e-now district of Kabul. Hundreds of Afghan bodybuilders from across
Afghanistan competed to win the Mr. Afghanistan 2009 title. According to
officials, all athletes are tested for illegal steroids and synthetic
hormones.
The winner of this year's title went to Helmand province's Shukrullah Shakili.
The event was organized by Afghanistan's national Olympic committee.
June 2, 2009: About Not Supporting Afghan
Cricket Because of Pakistan
In the world of Afghan sports today, there are two main things that the
people of Afghanistan can be really proud of, one is Rohullah Nikpai finally
winning a medal for Afghanistan in the 2008 Summer Olympics, and the other
is the wonderful success of the cricket team. This year the Afghan cricket
team achieved ODI (One-Day International) status when they finished in the
top six of the 2011 World Cup qualifying event, and soon they will attempt
to qualify for the 2010 World Twenty20 championships. In order to further
the sport of cricket in Afghanistan, the government has even agreed to the
creation of a national cricket board. One would think every Afghan would be
happy with the success of the cricket team, sadly, that is not the case.
Click here to
read full article.
May 20, 2009: Afghan cricket team will attempt
to qualify for the World Twenty20 and the water polo team is ready for USA trip
The International Cricket Council (ICC) announced that Afghanistan's cricket
team will attempt to qualify for the 2010 World Twenty20 championships in
October of this year in the United Arab Emirates. They will be joined
by teams from the United States, Ireland, Canada, Kenya, the Netherlands,
Scotland and the United Arab Emirates. After this competition, the top two
teams will then go on to compete against the 10 ICC Full Members in next
year's main event. The event is scheduled to take place in the West
Indies (Barbados, Guyana, and St. Lucia) in April and May.
In other Afghan sports news, Jeremy Piasecki, the coach of Afghanistan's
water polo team told California's North County Times that his team is ready
to come to the United States to train and compete against various opponents
in preparation for the next Olympics try outs. The coach also told the North
County Times that he is looking for donations to help support the team, as
well as a place for the athletes to stay while in the United States. To
help, please visit www.afghanistanwaterpolo.com or call 760-451-1783.
April 19, 2009: Good news and bad news for Afghan
cricket team
Afghanistan
beat Scotland today (by 5 wickets, with 22 balls remaining) for the second
time, and on Friday they beat Namibia and earned ODI (One-Day International)
status for the next four years. Sadly, however, because of four
previous losses, they end the World Cup Qualifiers Super Eight in fifth place
and will not go on to play in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Ireland, Canada,
Kenya and Netherlands however will proceed. Despite not being able to
make it to the 2011 World Cup, the Afghan team are still optimistic about the
future of cricket in Afghanistan and now look forward to future competitions.
April 5, 2009: Afghan cricket team down but not out
The
Afghan cricket lost on Saturday to Kenya after beating Denmark and Bermuda in
the 2011 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The Kenyan team beat Afghanistan by 107
runs. Luckily for the team, this loss does not mean they are completely out
the competition. Next week, they will face off against the Netherlands
and United Arab Emirates. This is the second bad news for the Afghan team.
Last week, they were told Rafatullah Mohmand was not allowed to play for the
Afghan team. According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), a
player must play domestically for a country for at least 4 years, before he
can represent internationally. Previously, Mohmand, although an Afghan,
had played for the Pakistani team.
March 17, 2009: Afghan team ready for World Cup
The
Afghan cricket team concluded training in Pakistan today, and seemed
determined more than ever to qualify for the 2011 Cricket Word Cup. Coach
Kabir Khan told the French news agency, AFP: “We have progressed by leaps and
bounds and if we play to our potential we can qualify for the World Cup". In
April, they will participate in the World Cup qualifying tournament in South
Africa. Two groups of countries will play against one another and the top
four teams will qualify for the 2011 World Cup. The first team they will play
against is Denmark on April 1st.
February 1, 2009: One step closer for
Afghanistan's cricket team
Afghanistan's
cricket team defeated the Cayman Islands on Saturday by 82 runs and finished
at the top of the World Cricket League Division Three. They have now
successfully achieved their place in April's qualifying event for the 2011
World Cup. On Sunday, the International Cricket Council's chief executive,
Haroon Lorgat, applauded Afghanistan's victories.
January 25, 2009: Afghanistan wins over Hong
Kong after losing to Uganda
The
Afghan cricket team lost to the Ugandans on the opening day of the World
Cricket League Division 3 on Saturday, however, on Sunday they came back and
defeated Hong Kong. Afghanistan won by 13 runs. Hong Kong lost twice to
Afghanistan in Tanzania during the Division Four games.
December 9, 2008: Afghanistan Water Polo Adds
Coaching Staff
The Dream of Afghanistan Athletics Press Release
After a search that produced applications from high-profile coaches from
around the world, Afghanistan Water Polo has announced the addition of two
Southern California-based coaches to its staff:
Bahram Hojreh
Bahram Hojreh, of Long Beach, CA, brings a winning
history as a coach and player to Afghanistan Water Polo. Currently head
coach and director of Los Al Water Polo, in Los Alamitos, CA, Hojreh has
previously led successful water polo programs at Orange Coast College in
Costa Mesa, CA, where he was the head coach for the men’s team, and at
University High School in Irvine, CA, where he led women’s water polo.
As a coach, Hojreh’s teams have won six national championships and have
produced over 100 All-Americans.
As a player, Hojreh played water polo for legendary coach Ted Newland at
the University of California - Irvine, where the team produced national
top-4 NCAA Division 1 finishes 1994–1998. Hojreh continues to play for the
Adult Masters / Premier team at Los Al Water Polo.
Hojreh earned a BA from the University of California - Irvine, in 1999
and a MA in Kinesiology from California State University - Long Beach, in
2005.
Amr Soli
Amr Soli, of La Mesa, CA, has been coaching water polo for over 20 years.
Soli is currently president and head coach of the San Diego Suns water polo
club in La Mesa, and has coached at San Diego Mesa College and American
University, where he led his teams to several championship appearances,
including first place finishes in the Pacific Coast Conference, Lebanese
League and Egyptian League.
Before moving to the United States in 2000, Soli played water polo in
Europe, qualifying for the World Cup in Barcelona, Spain, in 1986. Soli
brings his international experience and recognized ability to inspire
athletes to attain high competitive levels to Afghanistan Water Polo.
“Bahram and Amr were selected because they present the right fit,” said
Jeremy Piasecki, executive director of Afghanistan Water Polo.
“Bahram has proven he can build a very competitive program from the
ground up and bring us to a level to compete internationally. And Amr has
tremendous experience and the ability to coach novice athletes to a high
level of play,” continued Piasecki. “Most importantly, they both have a real
passion to build this program. We feel very fortunate to have them.”
Recently sanctioned by the Afghanistan National Olympic Committee,
Afghanistan Water Polo was created to develop and promote the oldest team
sport in the modern Olympics in a country where sports take a distant place
behind the realities of war. With an ultimate goal of sending an Afghanistan
national water polo team to the 2016 Summer Olympics, Afghanistan Water Polo
is busy developing quality programs to establish Afghanistan’s presence on
the international stage.
Afghanistan Water Polo plans to bring teams to the United States to train
and compete in early 2009.
Afghanistan Water Polo relies heavily on volunteers and donors. For
further information, or to find out how you can help, contact Afghanistan
Olympic Dream at 760-451-1783, or e-mail at
contactus@afghanistanolympicdream.com
December 7, 2008: Afghans win Homeless World
Cup
In
front of 5,000 screaming fans in Australia today, Afghanistan won the
Homeless World Cup by outscoring Russia in the final game with a score of
5-4. The Homeless World Cup, a brainchild of Scottish entrepreneur Mel
Young, is an annual, international football (soccer) tournament. Currently
it is in its sixth year. Some 500 players representing 56 nations
participated this year. According to the tournament's official website, the
goal of the tournament is to unite "teams of people who are homeless and
excluded to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country
and change their lives forever." For more on the rules, and history, check
out:
http://www3.homelessworldcup.org/
October 26, 2008: Afghan cricket team gets
funding from the International Cricket Council
Today, as a result of their recent successes, the head of Afghanistan's Cricket
Federation, Allah Daad Noori, told the British based news service, Reuters, that
the International Cricket Council (ICC) has pledged to give Afghanistan's
cricket team between five to six hundred thousand dollars for the coming five
years. The ICC is the international governing body for cricket. Afghanistan went
undefeated in two World Cup qualifying tournaments this year, the second of
which was the ICC World Cricket League Division 4 in Tanzania, where they
secured a place in the Division 3 competition in Argentina in January 2009.
October 11, 2008: Afghans another step closer to the 2011 Cricket World Cup
Afghanistan defeated Hong Kong today and got their fifth consecutive win in the
World Cricket League Division Four games. Hong Kong is now 4 and 1. The top two finishers of this division
will move on to a six-team World Cricket League Division 3 in Argentina in January 2009.
After that, the top two teams will join 10 more countries in the United Arab Emirates to
play off for four berths in the 2011 World Cup. The World Cup will be jointly hosted by Bangladesh,
Pakistan, India, and Sri Lanka. Allah Daad Noori, Afghanistan's Cricket Federation President has
been very supportive of the team. After their win over Fiji on October 5th, he called the team
to congratulate them and give each player $200 US.
September 24, 2008: A New Sport Comes to
Afghanistan
Grab a newspaper or browse through
your favorite international news web site and you will find plenty of bad
news coming from Afghanistan. On any given day, you will find news about
bombings, abductions, and abuse of women and children. Luckily, not all the
news coming out of Afghanistan is bad, especially when it comes to sports
news. Read More.
August 31, 2008: Afghan Paralympics team off to Beijing
Afghanistan's five member
Paralympics delegation left for China today in order to participate in the
2008 Beijing Paralympics games. The Paralympics are elite sport events
for athletes from six different disability groups. The Paralympics are
usually held after the Olympics and so this year, it will be from September
6th to September 15th. The Paralympic Games are governed by the
International Paralympic Committee (IPC). The official sponsor of this
year's Afghan Paralympics delegation is the Alokozay Foundation.
August 28, 2008: Rohullah Nikpai Receives Hero Welcome
Rohullah Nikpai, the first Afghan
to win a medal in the Olympic games was given a red carpet welcome today
(August 28, 2008). Nikpai was greeted at the airport by vice president Karim
Khalili. He was then driven from the airport to Afghanistan's national
stadium in Kabul where he was greeted by a crowd of 5,000 cheering fans. The
crowd chanted slogans such as "Nikpai, the pride of Afghanistan", and "Long
live Afghanistan". Vice president Khalili stated that "it is a matter of
pride for all of us, for the government and the people of Afghanistan that
this war-ravaged country was able to win a medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympic
Games". The event was even broadcasted on state television. After winning
his medal, Nikpai stated: "I hope this medal can be a message of peace in
Afghanistan".
August 20, 2008: Afghanistan wins first ever
Olympic medal
Twenty one year old Rohullah Nikpai made
history today by winning Afghanistan's first Olympic medal. He defeated world
champion Juan Antonio Ramos of Spain to take the bronze in the men's under
58-kilogram taekwondo competition. Nikpai even got a call from President Hamid
Karzai. According to the president's spokesman, Humayun Hamidzada, President
Karzai awarded Nikpai a house at the government's expense. Also, the Associated
Press reported today that: "Ehsanullah Bayat, chairman of the Afghan Wireless
Communication Company, earlier announced that he would award any Afghan athlete
who won an Olympic bronze $10,000, along with $50,000 for a gold medal and
$25,000 for a silver, said Khalid Andisha, a spokesman for AWCC."
August 16, 2008: Kabul-Jalalabad cycle race
Pajhwok Afghan News (PAN) reported on Friday, August 15th that Afghanistan's first-ever
Kabul-Jalalabad cycle race (also known as the Ghazi Amanullah Khan Cycle Race)
began. An official of Afghanistan's Olympic Committee said that the race
will be 147 kilometers, and that it would begin from the Istiqlal monument
in the Pul-i-Mahmud Khan area of Kabul and end in the capital of Nangarhar
province (Jalalabad). Etisalat, one of the largest telecommunications companies
in the world is the sponsor of the event. Around 150 cyclists are taking
part in the race.
The
ICC World Twenty20 Qualifiers will take place next year in the United Arab
Emirates from February 9 -13. Both the United States of America and
Afghanistan were grouped in Group A and are scheduled to play against each
other on February 11, 2010. Other teams in Group A include Scotland and
Ireland. Overall in the event, there will be a total of 17 matches, and
they will be split over five days. Six games will be played in Sheikh Zayed
Stadium in Abu Dhabi, and 11 games will be played in Dubai Sports City. The
Super Four matches and final will also be played in Dubai. 
For
the first time ever, an Afghan team will participate in the All Kyokushin
Karate World Tournament which will be held from October 2nd to the 4th in
Budapest, Hungary.
Two
mountaineers (Malang Jan Darya and Amruddin Sanjar) made history on Sunday by
becoming the first Afghans to successfully climb Afghanistan's highest peak.
The two men planted Afghanistan's flag on the top of the 7,492-metre
(24,580-foot) Mount Noshaq. They had started their expedition on June 26;
before that, they spent nearly a month training in the French Alps. Both
Malang Jan Darya and Amruddin Sanjar live in the valley that leads to Mount
Noshaq. Noshaq was first conquered by Japanese climbers in 1960. Noshaq is
the second highest peak of the Hindu Kush after Tirich Mir in Pakistan, and
the 52nd highest peak in the world.
The
annual national bodybuilding competition was held today at the Cinema Hall in
the Shar-e-now district of Kabul. Hundreds of Afghan bodybuilders from across
Afghanistan competed to win the Mr. Afghanistan 2009 title. According to
officials, all athletes are tested for illegal steroids and synthetic
hormones.
Afghanistan
beat Scotland today (by 5 wickets, with 22 balls remaining) for the second
time, and on Friday they beat Namibia and earned ODI (One-Day International)
status for the next four years. Sadly, however, because of four
previous losses, they end the World Cup Qualifiers Super Eight in fifth place
and will not go on to play in the 2011 Cricket World Cup. Ireland, Canada,
Kenya and Netherlands however will proceed. Despite not being able to
make it to the 2011 World Cup, the Afghan team are still optimistic about the
future of cricket in Afghanistan and now look forward to future competitions.
The
Afghan cricket lost on Saturday to Kenya after beating Denmark and Bermuda in
the 2011 Cricket World Cup Qualifier. The Kenyan team beat Afghanistan by 107
runs. Luckily for the team, this loss does not mean they are completely out
the competition. Next week, they will face off against the Netherlands
and United Arab Emirates. This is the second bad news for the Afghan team.
Last week, they were told Rafatullah Mohmand was not allowed to play for the
Afghan team. According to the International Cricket Council (ICC), a
player must play domestically for a country for at least 4 years, before he
can represent internationally. Previously, Mohmand, although an Afghan,
had played for the Pakistani team.
The
Afghan cricket team concluded training in Pakistan today, and seemed
determined more than ever to qualify for the 2011 Cricket Word Cup. Coach
Kabir Khan told the French news agency, AFP: “We have progressed by leaps and
bounds and if we play to our potential we can qualify for the World Cup". In
April, they will participate in the World Cup qualifying tournament in South
Africa. Two groups of countries will play against one another and the top
four teams will qualify for the 2011 World Cup. The first team they will play
against is Denmark on April 1st. 
Afghanistan's
cricket team defeated the Cayman Islands on Saturday by 82 runs and finished
at the top of the World Cricket League Division Three. They have now
successfully achieved their place in April's qualifying event for the 2011
World Cup. On Sunday, the International Cricket Council's chief executive,
Haroon Lorgat, applauded Afghanistan's victories.
The
Afghan cricket team lost to the Ugandans on the opening day of the World
Cricket League Division 3 on Saturday, however, on Sunday they came back and
defeated Hong Kong. Afghanistan won by 13 runs. Hong Kong lost twice to
Afghanistan in Tanzania during the Division Four games.
In
front of 5,000 screaming fans in Australia today, Afghanistan won the
Homeless World Cup by outscoring Russia in the final game with a score of
5-4. The Homeless World Cup, a brainchild of Scottish entrepreneur Mel
Young, is an annual, international football (soccer) tournament. Currently
it is in its sixth year. Some 500 players representing 56 nations
participated this year. According to the tournament's official website, the
goal of the tournament is to unite "teams of people who are homeless and
excluded to take a once in a lifetime opportunity to represent their country
and change their lives forever." For more on the rules, and history, check
out: 
