Over the past few years, we've been keeping you up-to-date with the community service initiatives spearheaded by the Ahmadiyya Muslim Jama'at. They have been very active in providing at risk youths with opportunities to engage in positive activities such as sports, and they've been regularly taking teams of young Belizeans to basketball competitions in Mexico.
The Amadiyya teams have been performing at a very high level, and they've returned from several of these tournaments with trophies and medals. This weekend, they're returning back to Chetumal, Mexico to participate in the Gatorade Copa Bacalar Basketball Tournament. They competed last year, and came in second, and so this time around, they're pushing for gold.
The president of the Ahmadiyya community in Belize told us more about the tournament:
Naveed Mangla - President, Ahmadiyya Muslim Community
"This year, this tournament, we're attending it for the second time. Last year, we lost in finals. We weren't able to achieve what we had targeted for ourselves. So, this year, we're taking 2 teams, a U-18, and an open team which doesn't have any age limitation. And, we're hoping that we'll be able to bring the goal medal home."
"Basketball is a game of momentum. We were doing really well, and at the end, we were not so sad because we lost to one of our fellow teams in Belize. It was the Orange Walk [team] that we lost to, so, no regrets there. But, it's a learning experience for all of us, the players, in particular. Therefore, we hope not to commit the same mistakes this time, when we go."
Ahmaud Patnett - Point Guard, Ahmadiyya Team
"Last year was my first year. So, I was kind of nervous and shy. I didn't want to play hard because I don't know, I was just nervous. But, last year taught me a lot. Challenging the other teams, I learned how to defend harder, how to shoot better, how to lay-up better. I learned a lot of things, so this year, I'll go and do my best, and try to help my team bring home the gold."
The Tournament started today, and it will end on Sunday.
Email
Print