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Sri Lanka’s chaotic state has impacted all sides of society, together with sports activities. A Yemeni-Sri Lankan squash participant, one of many nation’s most promising abilities, has discovered herself embroiled in a dispute over play after being snubbed from choice.
Within the early 2000s, little Fathoum hung out watching her 5 older brothers follow squash.
Quickly after they completed for the day, she’d choose up their racket and swing a number of pictures. Observing her nimble footwork and combative aptitude across the court docket, Fathoum obtained unconditional help from her household and faculty principal on the time –which finally set the groundwork to compete towards gamers on the world stage.
Immediately, representing Sri Lanka on the twenty second Commonwealth Video games scheduled from July 29 to August 8 in Birmingham would have been a milestone for the 24-year-old squash star.
“[Fathoum] was a member of the Sri Lankan ladies’s squash crew that claimed the bronze medal on the South Asian Video games. Except for all of the hype, the controversy has introduced, Fathoum’s hopes for the long run stay shiny”
However life, like sports activities, got here with its personal set of defeats and drudgery.
A Yemeni by origin, Fathoum Zaleeha Issadeen is Sri Lanka’s first and solely Muslim skilled feminine athlete seen carrying the standard head cowl.
The truth is, Fathoum stays undefeated for 3 consecutive years. It was solely a matter of time earlier than Fathoum might virtually see her dream come true when the unthinkable occurred.
Shortly after rejecting her request to play the qualifying trial for 3 of the most important sporting occasions (together with the Commonwealth Video games) in March as a substitute of April when the holy month of Ramadan had began, Fathoum was dominated out by the Sri Lanka Squash Federation [SLSF] and the Ministry of Youth and Sports activities of Sri Lanka.
“It’s actually disappointing,” stated the shocked athlete over a reside broadcast on her Instagram web page a number of days in the past. “I’m but to obtain a proof as to why my title was intentionally reduce off.” This brings us again to her utmost dedication to the sport.
Affirming her ardour for a sporting nation in its truest sense, Fathoum went on to say that she hopes to not depart or give up enjoying for Sri Lanka regardless of her brothers’ recommendation being removed from it – who’re equally disheartened over the authorities deterring their youngest sister’s participation on the Video games – a golden alternative missed for the second time.
In 2018, simply three weeks earlier than leaving for Gold Coast (Australia) for the twenty first Commonwealth Video games, the federation barred Fathoum from making an attempt to institute an age restrict on her stating that she was nonetheless a school-going youngster.
When in actuality she had completed her A-Ranges by then. But, it’s an advanced debate and incites robust questions on why hard-working athletes like Fathoum are discriminated towards within the sports activities trade.
Bilaal Marikar, a legislation pupil following the fiasco since day one criticised the incompetency of these appointed because the authority. “This fixed incompetence has resulted in lots of athletes being disadvantaged of their probability to symbolize their nation on the Commonwealth Video games this yr.”
He added that “unsuitable board members worth the flawed issues of their occupation and simply take a look at it as an avenue of earnings for themselves slightly than really dedicating their effort in making certain that the athletes are given an opportunity to flourish and the game is improved.”
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At a time when Sri Lanka is wrestling with a deep monetary crunch, the island’s tourism sector was additionally severely hit by the COVID-19 pandemic with unprecedented results on jobs and companies nonetheless dealing with gridlock.
Much more, bounded by ethnic divisions persevering with to fester in an already wounded nation, seeing Fathoum symbolize Sri Lanka could be a strong unifying pressure binding all communities collectively.
However “we see injustice no matter ethnicity and caste,” Nuzly Hameem, a former engineer and a well-recognized face on the Sri Lanka protests, advised The New Arab.
“She is extraordinary and has carried out so nicely in the previous couple of years and it’s unfair she wasn’t chosen to play in Birmingham. No person from the federation expressed any concern. It was all hush-hush till Fathoum spoke out on social media.”
“Bounded by ethnic divisions persevering with to fester in an already wounded nation, seeing Fathoum symbolize Sri Lanka could be a strong unifying pressure binding all communities collectively”
Former squash participant and an avid sports activities author, Akhila Seneviratne could not know Fathoum personally however was conscious of all of the potential she needed to be a fantastic useful resource sooner or later for Sri Lanka and deemed the federation’s resolution to ban her as one thing certain to occur.
“There have to be honest picks,” he famous. “Gamers deserve to be told why they aren’t chosen as a result of who desires to play a sport the place their very own sporting physique doesn’t talk on these issues in a extra clear means?”
Fathoum is No. 1 within the ladies’s nationwide class in Sri Lanka and peaked at No. 246 on the world rating board. In 2019, she took dwelling the Senior Nationwide Squash Champion title and was runner-up within the plate occasion on the Asian Senior Particular person Squash Championships held in Kuwait.
In 2016 and 2019, she was a member of the Sri Lankan ladies’s squash crew that claimed the bronze medal on the South Asian Video games. Except for all of the hype, the controversy has introduced, Fathoum’s hopes for the long run stay shiny.
Whereas her affect strongly exerts the Egyptian squash participant Raneem El Weleily, a three-time finalist of the World Open and the primary Arab girl to succeed in the World No.1 title in any sport, she appears ahead to a work-life steadiness having chosen a sporting profession.
The challenges of mixing work and first rate household life are sometimes thought of the last word feminine battle and Muslim ladies who take part in sports activities publicly have it twice as laborious.
Nonetheless, many have proven that it may be executed. “Raneem’s dedication on the court docket and to the household is admirable. She’s a mom,” stated Fathoum. “That’s one thing I’d additionally like to come back dwelling to on the finish of the day.”
Rushda Rafeek is an award-winning poet and freelance author with bylines within the Los Angeles Overview of Books, Chicago Overview of Books, and many others.
Observe her on Twitter: @ryushha
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