Dr. Gayas Ahmed Sattar
RIYADH — GK’s International Indian Sports Club (GKIISC) officially launched the third edition of Youm Al-Watani Cup (YWC 2015) in Riyadh recently.
Team captains, managers, notable sports personalities and heads of many organizations attended the ceremony.
Dr. Gayas Ahmed Sattar, GKIISC president, recounted the history of the club and explained how the event has achieved phenomenal success within a short span of three years.
A curtain raiser was held a month ago in Jeddah to make the tournament more popular throughout the Kingdom. Nadeem Nadwi, CEO of Saudi Cricket Centre (SCC), had then unveiled the cups and the team uniforms.
Mohammed Kaleem, general secretary of GKIISC, welcomed the gathering and noted that 16 top teams are taking part in this year’s event, the biggest softball cricket tournament in the Kingdom. The tournament is being played on a league-cum-knockout basis and will be played over 10 weeks.
Uniform colors were awarded to teams in a lucky draw, which also decided their groups.
Feroz Khan, executive member of the club, released the theme of YWC 2015 — “Our Loyalty with the Kingdom, its Leadership & People”.
The Youm Al-Watani Cup represents a cross-section of the expatriate community in the Kingdom and the theme is an expression of their love and loyalty toward the country that has become a second home to many.
The cup has also evolved into a platform that has launched healthy values and initiatives in the past such as promoting health through sports and introducing cricket to the Saudi community, particularly the youth.
Syed Akram Mohiuddin, president of NRI Forum Riyadh, praised the GKIISC for maintaining high standards. He offered NRI Forum’s complete support to GKIISC’s sports activities.
Ibrahim Abdul Aziz Abushanak, CEO of Marketing and Management Co., was the chief guest on the occasion. He hailed GKIISC’s efforts in promoting cricket in Saudi Arabia. He unveiled the winner’s and runners-up trophies together with the executive members of GKIISC and NRI Forum.
Guest of Honor, Abdulla Al-Jameel, a young Saudi entrepreneur and a sports enthusiast, wished all the teams luck.
Jawed Ali, general secretary of NRI Forum Riyadh, was the master of the ceremony. He thanked the guests for attending the function and Nazeer Kannur of Saffron Restaurant for sponsoring the event.
