Minister of Defence Colonel (retired) Mohamed Nazim has said that the aim of the government is to make Maldives a successful nation in sports.
Minister Nazim made this remark speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the Carrom World Cup 2014 held in Maldives.
Minister Nazim who has been working closely with the Carrom Association of Maldives in organizing the tournament said that carom was introduced to the Maldives 26 years ago and the Carrom association has achieved remarkable success in getting the opportunity to host Carrom World Cup 2014 after 4 years work.
Minister Nazim also stated that the President Abdulla Yameen Abdul Gayoom will give the association full support to develop and promote sports in Maldives and to create opportunities for Maldivians with skills and talents to compete in tournments nationally and internationally.
In addition to this, the Minister expressed his gratitude to all those who sponsored the event.
The International Carrom Federation introduced Carrom World Cup in 2002 and the first World Cup was hosted in Luton (England). It was then also decided that the Carrom World Cup will be organized in between Carrom World Championships which is held every four years. The second tournament was organized in 2006 at Cannnes (France) and the third in 2010 at Richmond Virginia (USA). Carrom World Cup is one of the most prestigious events of Carrom organized after every four years.
For 2014, the International Carrom Federation has allotted the Carrom Association of Maldives the honored privilege of organizing and hosting the 4th Carrom World Cup to in the Maldives.
Maldivians have earned a big reputation as a country of great hospitality through our tourism industry. With a large percentage of our economy depending on our tourism industry, each year we host more tourists than our entire population. Therefore, the knowledge of being a good host comes naturally to us.
Maldives have hosted quite a few international sporting events in which Carrom dominates a large percentage. We have played host for the SAARC and Asian Carrom Championship quite a lot of times through which the current Association and its volunteers have gained good knowledge and experience in organizing such tournaments and handling the visiting players from other countries. Some local tournaments the Association has hosted such as the Interschool Carrom Tournament have the same number of players or more than that of the Carrom World Cup, although it may be of a reduced scale logistically. The organizing and the arrangement of hosting the Tournament will be made solely by the Association. Please refer to enclosed CV of the Association for details on the Association’s potential, experience and credibility to hold such events.