IAGD Badminton Tournament

By Faraz Haq, haq.faraz786@gmail.com

On the 6th, 7th, 13th, and 14th of February 2010, Islamic Association of Greater Detroit (IAGD) hosted its first annual men’s badminton tournament. This tournament was quite popular as the IAGD Board of Trustees chairman Dr. Ghaus Malik, Board of Directors President Br. Syed Hussain Akbar, Tawheed Center president Dr. Khalid Javed, Imam Aly Lela, and Imam Hafiz Ahmed Rabbani, and Mayor Bryan Barnett of Rochester Hills were all in attendance on the final day. The tournament was a hit as a fair amount of spectators were present throughout the tournament including many of the youth as well. Tasty food was available on all days and kids activities were planned on February 14th.

The tournament began with a short speech given by Dr. Malik emphasizing the importance of such sporting events being held at the Mosque and pledged his full support for the future. The teams represented the communities of IAGD of Rochester Hills, MCWS of Canton and the Tawheed Center of Farmington Hills. The tournament was highlighted by star player Azam Abbasi of Tawheed Center, who is a former university champion of Rajiv Gandhi Univ. of Health Sciences in India. 16 teams participated in doubles action, with 12 teams participating in singles action. The teams were divided into four groups. Teams played on a single league basis within their groups followed by the playoffs.

In singles action, Azam Abbasi defeated Syed Najam of IAGD to advance to the finals. His opponent in the final match was Amin Hashmi of IAGD who was able to defeat Syed Zia of IAGD. In the finals Azam was able to defeat Amin in a best of 3 series by a score of 15/4 for the first game, and 15/5 for the second. Azam displayed his repertoire of different shots including beautiful drop shots, powerful smashes, and sound backhands. He seemed to covering the court with great ease and made the game look effortless. Amin provided great competition, however, he proved to be no match for the skills of Azam.

In doubles action, Syed Najam and Mahmood Akhtar of IAGD defeated Mansoor Khan and  Shahid Ahmed of IAGD to advance to the finals. Their competition was the team of Azam and Irfan Bhatti of Tawheed Center who were able to defeat Nasir Husain and Amin Hashmi of IAGD in the semifinals. The doubles finals turned out to be the most intense encounter of the event. The team of Syed and Mahmood won the first game by a score of 15/6. Azam and Irfan came back strong to win the second game by the score of 15/10. In the third and final game, the score was tied at 14, with both teams having to score one point each to win. Azam performed one of his powerful smashes just to the left of Mahmood’s outstretched arms and was awarded the championship point of the tournament. Both teams were exceptional, performing a wide array of shots and giving 100% effort.

Winners and Runners teams of Singles & Doubles events received trophies from Mayor Barnett and IAGD president Br.  Akbar. Cash awards for Winners and Runners were given by Br. Shahid Tahir.

The first annual IAGD men’s badminton tournament was a big success. There was great game play, with a big audience in attendance. Mayor Barnett expressed his joy at watching the wonderful badminton game play, and emphasized the need for healthy competitions which bring the different communities together. IAGD president Hussain Akbar was thrilled with the event and praised all who took part in organizing the tournament.

IAGD Gym committee sincerely appreciates the support from Mutahir Jamali of MCWS and Tariq Tahir of Tawheed Center for making sure that their teams participated in the tournament. Gym committee also appreciates the effort of Muqueem Sports for setting up a sales booth in the gymnasium from where players and fans purchased badminton rackets, birdies, and other accessories.  Many thanks are also due to the hardworking volunteers: Muhammad Faisal, Asad Sabir Ali, Asghar Ali, Shan Haq, Syed Zafarullah, Shahab Khan, Faisal Sultan, and Sr.  Durdana Shamim. Special thanks to Dr. Nasir Husain for actively participating in the tournament. The tournament generated such a buzz that the IAGD Gym Committee is considering holding youth badminton and cricket camps to promote future youth tournaments. Once again, the IAGD Gym Committee Chair Shahid Ahmed and Vice Chair Muhammad Faisal are truly grateful to all for making this wonderful event possible and inshallah many more will be organized in the near future.

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