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First Kurdistan track and field clubs
championship concludes, Hewler wins football
championship
13.7.2007
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July
13, 2007
Duhok, Kurdistan region (Iraq), -- Duhok
Sports Club Stadium witnessed, Wednesday evening,
the closure of the first championship for
Kurdistan’s region's track and field clubs,
organized by the Central Kurdistan Union for Track
and Field.
The president of the Kurdistan Track and Field
Union, Ahmed Bahaa El-Din, said that "23 clubs
participated in the championship from the provinces
of Erbil, Sulaimaniyah and Duhok, and it was open to
both sexes."
He added that "achievements in most of the events
called for appraisal, especially in the women’s
events which achieved unprecedented success, with
good records set in several."
He pointed out that at the teams level, Tala Sports
Club's women’s team and Duhok Sports Club's men’s
team scored first place. On the individual level,
Byar Hussien from Duhuk Sports Club was the Men’s
Field Champion, and Klistan Mahmoud from Kelaa Spots
Club was the Women’s Field Champion.
Bahaa El-Din added, "this was our first attempt to
hold a championship of this size, its success will
open the way for other upcoming championships."
He pointed out that the union’s next venue would be
the convening of a similar championship for youth,
which hopefully will take place next August.
Hewler (Erbil) wins football championship
The Hewler championship football club makes history
in front of some 30,000 screaming football fans in
Erbil International Stadium.
By defeating Baghdad's Quwa Al-Jawiya (Air Force) by
a score of one to zero, the Hewler (Erbil) football
club became champions of the Iraqi elite tournament
for the first time in its history on Friday. Fans
took to Erbil city streets late into the night after
the victory.
Hewler's forward player Ahmed Salah's earliest goal
of the tournament came one minute after the starting
whistle. With that goal, Hewler defeated Al-Jawiya
on home turf in Erbil International Stadium of
Shaheed Franso Hariri in front of nearly 30,000
boisterous Hewler fans.
Air Force dominated play for the most part in the
second half, continually attacking Hewler. But
defensive players Rafe Badradin, Yaser Ra'ad, and
Salahaddin Siyamand strongly supported their
goalkeeper, Sarhang Muhsen, effectively stopping Air
Force from putting any points on the board.
In overtime, referee Qassim Udai gave three red
cards, sending off Hewler's Arkan Najib for wasting
time and ejecting two of Air Force's players,
Hussein Saddam and Ahmad Ayad, for controversy to a
referee's decree.
With Udai's final whistle, the celebration began
with the dizzying display of thousands of colorful
Kurdistan flags and the yellow flags of the Hewler
team, and shouts from fans of "Hewler" and "Piroza,"
which means "congratulations" in Kurdish.
The event represents sport history for Hewler and a
national victory for the Erbil and Kurdistan people
as their team raised the cup for the first time
since the Hewler team was established in 1968.
Hewler's win is the third Iraqi elite tournament Cup
taken out of Baghdad. The clubs from the capital
city won all 30 elite tournaments since it began in
1974-75, with the exceptions of wins by Minaa from
Basra in 1977-78, Salahaddin from Tikrit in 1982-83
and finally Hewler caught the cup on its land this
season.
A ceremony to award the medals and Cup was held at
the stadium. The top four teams, Hewler, Al-Jawiya,
Najaf, and Talaba, also received financial gifts of
$60,000(USD), $50,000(USD), $40,000(USD), and
$30,000(USD), respectively.
The Cups and gifts were awarded by Kurdistan Olympic
Committee head, Mala Bakhtiyar; politburo member of
the Kurdistan Democratic Party, Dr. Rozh Nori Shawes;
Kurdistan Regional Minister of Sport and Youth, Taha
Barwari; Minister of Martyrs and Anfals, Chenar
Sa'ad Abdulla; Erbil's Governor Nawzad Hadi; and
several other officials.
All of this season's matches were held in Erbil and
Duhok stadiums due to the safer security situation
in Kurdistan Region as opposed to the situation in
Baghdad.
The league's season takes place December 22, 2006,
to July 6, 2007, with the participation of 32 clubs.
Twelve of the clubs in two groups (northern and
southern) qualified for the elite tournament. In the
northern group, Hewler and Talaba played their way
into the semifinal matches to meet Jawiya and Najaf,
the first- and second-place teams of the southern
group. During the season's 150 matches, 321 goals
were scored, with Hewler forward player Ahmed Salah
scoring the most with 11 goals.
Since the initial Iraqi elite tournament in 1974-75,
Zawra has won the most titles with 11 championships.
Talaba and Al-Jawiya place second, each winning five
times. Karkh won three times, and Minaa, Salahaddin,
Al-Jaish, and now Hewler have each won once.
Both Hewler and Al-Jawiya will represent Iraq at the
Asia Championship Games in 2008, and the third-place
club, Najaf, will participate in the Arab champion
league.
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