IST 2016 - The road to Jubilee Games

Ismaili Sports Tournament III (IST) brought the Ismaili community  from Australia, New Zealand and Papua New Guinea together in Sydney for a three day sports event which served as a qualifier for the International Jubilee Games in Dubai.

More than 1 000 athletes, spectators and volunteers attended IST where athletes of all ages competed in 14 sports including basketball, cricket, soccer, swimming, and track and field. The event commenced with an opening ceremony, Australian flag rising, lighting of the torch all supported by the mascots: kolas and kiwi.
 
Non-competitive activities such as family games and children’s races, seniors activities and sports clinics were also organized for non participants.  The evening entertainment including cultural dances (garba), music and mela nights as well as a youth café.

Although competitive sport was the focus of IST, the theme of One Jamat,(one community) with No Borders was the overwhelming spirit of unity which brought the ANZ Jamat together. This event served as an opportunity for the geographically dispersed ANZ Ismaili community to come together and celebrate the values of unity and volunteerism.

 

Jubilee Games Dubai 2016

Our ANZ athletics team of  20 men and women participating in athletics, cricket, badminton, squash, chess and  table tennis where then selected to attend the International Jubilee Games in Dubai.

The 2016 Jubilee Games was an eight-day event held between 22 – 29 July in the Dubai World Trade Centre, United Arab Emirates bringing together Ismaili Muslims over 25 countries around the globe to celebrate excellence in competitive sport. 

The Games drew approx. 2 000 athletes, 1 000 volunteers and several thousand local and international spectators who attended 15 individual and team sports. The opening and closing ceremonies featured cultural performances to showcase the talent of an internationally diverse community  and a Global Village with exhibitions to educate, inspire and engage participants.

The Jubilee Games commenced with the fanous lamp roadshow which travelled globally to all the countries that participated in the games.  The” fanous” once hung in the mosques during the Fatimid times to light up the streets of Cairo, symbolise the same enlightenment and brotherhood.   

Using sports as a medium, the Jubilee Games aims to encourage the development of high performance athletes, the adoption of healthy and active lifestyles within the global Jamat, and seeks to unite the Jamat by showcasing its diverse cultural, social and linguistic traditions. The Jubilee Games is ultimately a catalyst from which positive attitudes towards physical fitness and healthy living are inspired, created and sustained within the global Ismaili community.