Sports Program for the Stateless Community

The pandemic continues so do the activities at Khel. 

Cheerleading: Imkaans gymnastics team was able to take part in The International Cheerleading Festival this year held in Russia. We were able to participate because the event was online and the lack of identity documents was not a challenge for us. We won the first position in team cheer freestyle in the junior category. We at Imkaan are elated with this news and hope that we are able to resolve issues of statelessness to enable these children to be able to participate internationally and nationally. This win is a reinforcement of our belief in their potential and our commitment towards advocating for equal opportunities for children irrespective of the origins of their parents or grandparents.

Gymnastics: Recruitment of the new gymnasts continues at Khel, a learning and recreational centre in Machar Colony, Karachi. The coaches are focusing on creating a boys-only team and with little ones participating and learning hard the effort is bearing fruit in the form of some young ones performing wonderfully. The girls are ready to participate in games that will be held locally but are postponed due to the pandemic. 3 out of 6 are now at the International level while the rest are at level 2 internationally. 

Table Tennis: Imkaan is looking to expand its program by adding more tables and hiring coaches. Door-to-door awareness-raising sessions regarding the sports program is being conducted to add more members especially younger children to learn table tennis early. 

Imkaan is looking to expand its sports program and updates its facilities in 2021 - 2022. More on that will be shared in the next update. 

Links:

• Cheerleading Win

Khel, a learning and recreational centre initiated a sports component in 2016 by introducing gymnastics and eventually table tennis. Since initiation and training of the students the gymnastics team has been winning championships, trophies for best gymnasts, and medals for vault and floor exercises. The table tennis team has been runner-up in almost all the championships in 2019. 

 In 2021, the girls of the gymnastics team and the table tennis team have won championships in the last two months. The Kiran Foundation championship for gymnastics was cleaned swept by the girls by winning the best gymnast girl, first position horse, second position floor, and won the championship third time in a row. The boys are still in training and participated in the event. 

The Whales Sports Festival held from 27th January 2020 till 2nd February 2020 proved to be a great opportunity for students to experience camaraderie, teamwork & leadership besides showcasing their athletic talent. The boys and girls table tennis team participated where the girl's team won the runner-up and the championship.

 These amazing children continue to make the community and Imkaan proud of their achievements. Imkaan will continue to add new children to the roster and train the current team to be part of national teams.

Links:

• The Champion Team and the People Behind It.