The bashiball team of Feeali in Faafu atoll has won the first ever First Lady Bashiball Championship. This championship saw participation by 48 bashiball teams from around the country.
The final match of the first ever Bashiball Championship was held at Galolhu Stadium at a grand scale. The final match was played between the teams of Feeali of Faafu atoll and Maafushi of Kaafu atoll.
The First Lady Bashiball Championship, the biggest such championship held in Maldives, is an initiative by First Lady, Fathimath Ibrahim, under her efforts of empowering women and solidifying their role in the Maldivian society. This championship also aims to build the spirit of healthy competition to revive the traditional national games of Maldives and prevent such sports from fading away into the past.
The bashiball teams first competed at zone level in atolls to reach the national level held in the capital city of Male'. The organsiers of the championship revealed that the reason behind having the bashiball final at the Galolhu Stadium is to provide opportunity for the maximum number of supporters to witness this historic event.
In an exclusive interview with PSM News, a lead member of the organizing team, Member of Parliament for Velidhoo constituency Abdulla Yameen stated that various such events have been organized under the guidance of the First Lady.
The team of Feeali of Faafu atoll won the championship with a narrow score difference of a single point. In addition to the champion team, awards were conferred to first and second runner up teams, the best nine players, fair play team of the tournament, and team with best supporters. Aishath Lubna of Laamu Gan team was crowed the Queen of the Tournament. Participants of the championship described this as a platform to showcase the growth of women in the sports.
The final match was punctuated by musical numbers presented by various local artists. Food stalls were also in operation while the match was going on.