International sports began
about a century ago in the Maldives. According to historical sources cricket
was the first international sport played in the Maldives followed closely by
football. Organized sport began in the 1940s with the first national football
tournament held in 1948. Shortly an administrative office to coordinate the
sports events in Male’ (the capital island) was created in 1950. During this
period additional sports like tennis, volleyball, basketball, athletics and
table tennis were gradually introduced.
From the very early days,
sport governance and administration was centrally controlled. In 1977, the
first office specifically created for this purpose was formed.
In 1983 a consultative body
was formed to advise the government and in 1988 the Ministry of Home Affairs
and Sports was established with a new focus on making sport an integral part of
national development. The sport portfolio has been assigned to different
Government ministries since then, but the focus has been on providing
administrative and governance support to sports development.
The first national sport
association was registered in 1981. Since then national associations have
played a significant role in the development of sport in the Maldives. The
National Olympic Committee formed in 1979 is a key partner in the development
of sports in the Maldives. The Olympic Committee has helped in raising Maldives
sports profile internationally by facilitating Maldives to participate in
international sporting events and competitions. The Maldives was first
represented internationally by a table tennis team, which visited China in
1973.
The first major international
competition that Maldives participated was the Indian Ocean Games of 1979 held
in Reunion in which the country received its first international award; a
silver medal in badminton. Football is the most popular and widely played sport
in the Maldives, and the sport which has brought the most accolades to the
country. The Maldivian football team has won silver medals in the SAF Games
held in 1991, and in the South Asian Championship held in 1997. In 2008,
Maldives beat India to win a gold medal in the same competition.
From year 2000 sport related training and
education has been under the responsibility of the Youth and Sports Development
Centre (YSDC). The idea of establishing
a more comprehensive institute to cater for the need of developing sports in
the country was announced by the President’s Office in 2011. In 27th
February 2012 Maldives National Institute of sports officially came to existence.
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| Ali Asfaaq, Captain of Maldives National Football Team |
The purpose of the National Sports Institute is
to function as a resource centre for the development of sports in Maldives. It
will provide high quality education, training and research opportunities to
improve the capacity of people involved in the sports sector. Specialised sports
services will be developed to ensure athletes receive first-class treatment for
injuries and get scientific support for their development in order to reach
their maximum performance.
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