Great Britain blind football captain Ajmal Ahmed
Three British-Asian sports stars are looking to strike gold at the Paralympic Games in Beijing.
Liverpool-born Ajmal Ahmed will be hoping to captain the Great Britain blind football team to glory, while Mandip Sehmi will be joined by east Londoner Bulbul Hussain to rough it up in the wheelchair rugby event.
All three stars are hopeful of coming home with a medal, as well as giving their sports more prominence. The trio have not let their disabilities hold them back from achieving success and are looking to make their dreams come true at this year’s Games.
Qualification
Great Britain’s blind football team qualified for the Paralympics after Ahmed captained them to the final of the European Championships in Greece last year. They picked up a silver medal after losing 5-0 to defending champions Spain.
The Blind team, which comprises players from England’s blind football squad, is competing in their first Paralympics. They are currently ranked fifth in the world behind teams such as Spain, Brazil and Argentina but Ahmed believes any team can win the gold medal on their day.
“You have to be good to qualify and compete here and on our day, we can beat any team,” said Ahmed. “If we play to our ability, there is every chance that we could walk away with a medal. We have played in various European championships but the Paralympics is a first for all of us.”
Latecomer
The 27-year-old, who was born blind, only got into organised blind football when he attended the Royal National College for the Blind in Hertfordshire. GB coach Tony Larkin took him to his first European Championships in Portugal in 1999.
Since then, he has played in five Championships, as well as three World Cups.
The game is played between two five-a-side teams. The outfield players wear an eye patch while the goalkeepers are sighted and can direct play but cannot leave their area.
The football contains a ball bearing which allows players to hear where it is. When a player comes in for a tackle, he shouts out the word ‘voi’, to alert his opponent in possession to avoid any serious injuries.
The football competition began on Sunday (7 September), with the final on Wednesday, September 17.
Belief
Britain’s wheelchair rugby squad begin their tournament on Friday (12 September). Both Hussain and Sehmi believe they can upset some of the more established nations such as Canada and America to pick up a medal.
Britain won the gold medal at the European Championships in 2005 and 2007 and Sehmi, 27, is confident they can win another one.
“It’s great to be going to the Paralympics and to have a chance to win a medal,” Sehmi said.
Hussain added: “The Paralympics is the biggest achievement in this sport. It’s a really big honour and I’m very proud. It’s a dream come true.”
From Eastern Eye
For more information on the Paralympics, visit en.paralympic.beijing2008.cn
