In Doha, family ties abound with sisters in beach volleyball & twins in synchronised swimming
DOHA: Abdulla Alshaikh has two sons competing at the Asian Games and one giant headache. When Hassan and Bader play against each other, who should he support? “Hassan is young and I must stand by him,” says Abdullah. “Both are my sons. I know he must play against his brother at any time to improve. He must learn his limitations.”
At the Games, family ties abound with sisters in beach volleyball and identical twins in synchronised swimming and tennis. Hong Kong can even boast four brothers in their hockey team. But it’s Saudi Arabia’s Alshaikh brothers at the bowling alley where the bonds have really been tested. “We have played each other in training and usually Bader beats me,” says Hassan. Hassan needn’t have worried. In the Masters event, he finished ninth while his big brother was way down, 14th.
There were no such problems for 20-year-old Chinese twins, Jiang Tingting and Jiang Wenwen, who picked up the synchronised swimming gold. “My sister has got a bit of a stronger character than me,” says Tingting, who is older by just two minutes. “But she listens to me all the time. When we go shopping, we follow my ideas about where to go and what to buy. Sometimes we play scissors-paper-rock.”
There were no winners amongst the four Ali brothers who lined up for Hong Kong — two were sent off for foul play in their 0-1 defeat to Taiwan. Arif Ali, 25, and captain Akbar Ali, 30, were hauled up for foul play and ordered off with yellow cards.
That left eldest brother Asghar Ali, 34, and Asif Ali, 29, to battle for Hong Kong before time ran out on them. Akbar was unconsolable. “This is bullshit,” he shouted when shown the card. “The other guy hit me and I’m being sent off.”
Like Abdulla Al Shaikh, Amro Shouhdy is also nervous as he coaches and then watches his 10-year-old daughter Alaa take part in the sailing tournament. “Before I started sailing, I played with the boats and I liked it very much,” says little Alaa. Proud dad Amro has already seen his high-flying daughter represent Qatar in gymnastics. “I tried to get her into another sport when she stopped going to gymnastics because I’m a sailor,” he explains. “I just want her to finish the course. I want her to get more experience.”
Other families are just glad to be here. Iraq sisters Lida and Liza Agasi were the only Muslim women competitors in beach volleyball, a brave choice to make in this deeply conservative country. They insist they were comfortable as their skimpy bikinis attracted curious locals. They were more concerned in not disgracing themselves. “We don’t have facilities in Iraq,” says Lida. “We were forced to practice indoors.”
India’s mother-and-daughter team Sabeena Saleem and Sana also defied opposition from Muslim elements to take part in bowling.
“My mother can help me out a lot, but sometimes I get very stubborn,” says Sana, a 20-year-old student.
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
)
)
)
)
)
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}
){kind=small}