MAK organised 7th national level volleyball, throwball tournament

MAK organized the seventh edition of the national-level volleyball and throwball tournament, titled the “MAK Champion Trophy 2024,” on February 25th. The event took place at ASPIRE Bilingual School in Jeleeb Al-Shuyoukh, Kuwait.

The tournament coincided with Kuwait’s National Day celebration. The weather was pleasant, and both the participants and MAK members were fully prepared for the event.

The long day tournament commenced at 8 am with a grand opening ceremony led by Suresh Salian. AmrithRaj Suvarna and Lakshmish Salian, representing the MAK Management Committee, warmly welcomed the attendees. The event began with the playing of the Kuwaiti and Indian national anthems.

The opening ceremony kicked off with a parade featuring the guests and the MAK management committee. Suresh Salian conceptualized and orchestrated the inauguration and the stunning opening ceremony.

The chief guest of the day was Reaven D’Souza, the founder and managing editor of ‘The Times Kuwait’. The guest of honor was Dr. Prabath Shetty, an orthodontist at Maidan Clinic Farwaniya.

The next guest for the tournament was Jameel Ahmad, the president of KMWA Kuwait and an IT Service Desk Lead at EQUATE Petrochemicals Co.

Other guests for the day included Toby Vargese, Activities Director of Indian Central School; Adel Sabieh Shadher, PRO of Indian Central School; Naveen Mascharenhas, President of KCWA; Shankar Shetty, Vice President of Tulukoota Kuwait; Raj Bhandary, President of BPP Karnataka Kuwait; Vijay Kairangala, Advisor of BPP; Shrinath Prabhu, Sports Secretary of Tulukoota Kuwait; Lionel Mascarenhas, PRO of Tulukoota Kuwait; Rajesh Hegde, Welfare Convenor of BPP; Madhav Naik, TPI President; Yadunath Alva, Former President of BuntaraSangha, accompanied by his wife Shalini Yadunath Alva; Jagadish Shanubogue; Wilson DSouza, Ex-President of Tulukoota Kuwait, accompanied by his wife ReshmaNoronha; and Seema Miranda, physical education teacher of Carmel School, Kuwait.

The guests extended their best wishes and good luck to the participating teams and organizers.

Poonam Mendon, the president of MAK, welcomed the gathering in her speech, emphasizing the importance of playing with true sportsmanship spirit. She also highlighted that sports bring people from different religions and communities together. She also thanked all the teams for their support, emphasizing that the event is organized for the welfare projects of MAK.

Kavitha Kidiyoor, the sports secretary of MAK, led the oath-taking ceremony with all the participants. ConvenorRamesh Kidiyoor wished all teams well and officially announced the opening of the tournament.

The president of MAK, along with the management committee and the chief guests, inaugurated the volleyball and throwball court by serving the ball. The guests also unveiled the medals and trophies for the tournament.

The participating volleyball teams were as follows: (1) Boubyan Strikers, (2) United Bailore, (3) BPP Karnataka, (4) Tamil Tigers, (5) SAJA Group, (6) Mangalore Sports Club, (7) MKV Spikers, (8) KSAC, (9) Avengers, (10) Andra Boys.

The participating throwball teams were as follows:  (1) Sharp Shooters, (2) Power Stars, (3) Kuwait Konkans A, (4) Kuwait Konkans B, (5) Alfa, (6) Super Smashers, (7) Vaigai A, (8) Vaigai B, (9) Dragon Queens, (10) Prosports United Girls, (11) Fire Girls.

The volleyball inaugural first-round match began between Boubyan Strikers and SAJA Gulf, while the first-round throwball match featured Sharp Shooters against Pro Sports.

The teams played with full enthusiasm, and viewers enjoyed and experienced the spectacular show. As the day progressed matches kept rolling one after another.

The main sponsors of the event were: Salmiya Clinic, Boubyan Gas Company, Aroc Global Import & Export Commission Agent Co. W.L.L., Vision Direct Logistics Services Company, Sangeetha Restaurant-Salmiya, and Annapoorna Restaurant-Salmiya.

The volleyball referees were Alexander Mathew and Abhilash Mathew, while the throwball referees were Ivan D’Souza and Dr. T Ramesh Kumar.

The scorers for the throwball team were KavithaKidiyoor, Smitha Lakshmish, Pooja Kanchan, and Dr. Rani Vikyath. For the volleyball team, the scorers were Pundarika Kanchan, Sanu Kunder, Prashanth, RakshithSuvarna, and Rajesh Salian. Announcements were made by Santhosh Kunder and Siraj.

Delicious breakfast, lunch, and snacks were catered by Annapoorna Restaurant in Salmiya. Capturing the beautiful moments of the day were the MAK photographers, Amrith Raj Suvarna and PrashanthKunder. DJ Purander Manchi provided the wonderful background music, and the sound system was provided by Anand Sounds.

Winners

The volleyball tournament concluded with the final match between Boubyan Strikers and SAJA Gulf. Following a tough battle between the two formidable teams, Team Boubyan Strikers claimed the winner’s trophy, with SAJA Gulf declared the first runner-up. The second runner-up trophy was awarded to Mangalore Sports Club. Mubashir K P of Boubyan Strikers secured the title of MAK player of the tournament for volleyball.

Meanwhile, the throwball tournament concluded with the final match between Kuwait Konkans B and Dragon Queens. Kuwait Konkans claimed the winner’s trophy, with Dragon Queens as the first runners-up and Alfa as the second runners-up. Anusha B P of Team Alfa secured the title of MAK Player of the Tournament for throwball.

Prize distribution ceremony

Convenor Ramesh Kidiyoor, ex-president Rajesh Mendon, President Poonam Mendon, along with the MAK management, presented the trophies and medals to the winners. The MAK members, on the other hand, awarded the trophies and medals to the runners-up team and individual achievers.

MAK conducted a raffle draw, and the winners are as follows:

The first prize was awarded to Kiran Kumar, the second prize to Lakshmish K, and the third prize went to Shikha.

The 10 consolation prize winners were: Ganesh, Raghavendra N, Mr. Philip, Madhavan M, Rohan Raj, Madhav Naik, Shekar Amin, Rohan Raj, Raghavendra N, Daivik.

In their vote of thanks, Sports Secretary Kavitha Kidiyoor and Purandara Manchi expressed gratitude to everyone who contributed to the success of the tournament, including participants, sponsors, organizers, MAK volunteers, MAK management committee, and executive committee members.

Finally, special thanks were extended to the management and staff of ASPIRE Bilingual School for providing the exceptional venue.