| Revision as of 02:09, 2 May 2011 edit65.190.35.191 (talk) →Playing career← Previous edit | Latest revision as of 22:38, 29 July 2024 edit undoSmasongarrison (talk | contribs)Extended confirmed users, New page reviewers, Pending changes reviewers, Rollbackers732,617 edits Moving from Category:Afghan sportsmen to Category:21st-century Afghan sportsmen Diffusing per WP:DIFFUSE and/or WP:ALLINCLUDED using Cat-a-lot | ||
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| {{Short description|Afghani sportsman}} | |||
| '''Aziz Ahmad''' (born c. 1964) is a professional ] player from ]. Although his playing career has often been interrupted by war, he is now considered by many to be the sport's best living player. Although he was impoverished for much of his life, he has since gained lucrative sponsorships and become wealthy. | |||
| {{Infobox sportsperson | |||
| | image = <!-- name.jpg --> | |||
| | alt = | |||
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| <!-- Personal information --> | |||
| | native_name = | |||
| | native_name_lang = | |||
| | birth_name = <!-- if different than name --> | |||
| | full_name = <!-- if different than name/birth_name --> | |||
| | nickname = | |||
| | nationality = <!-- will not display if national_team is defined --> | |||
| | national_team = <!-- only for the country represented in international competition --> | |||
| | citizenship = ] | |||
| | birth_date = <!-- {{birth date and age|1964}} --> | |||
| | birth_place = | |||
| | death_date = <!-- {{death date and age|death year|death month|death day|birth year|birth month|birth day}} --> | |||
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| | height = <!-- X cm, X m, or X ft Y in (automatic conversion) plus optional year and reference --> | |||
| | weight = <!-- X kg, X lb, or X st Y lb (automatic conversion) plus optional year and reference --> | |||
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| | life_partner = | |||
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| | parents = <!-- or | mother = | father = --> | |||
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| | other_interests = | |||
| | website = <!-- {{URL|www.example.com}} --> | |||
| | module = | |||
| <!-- Sport --> | |||
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| | sport = ] | |||
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| | retired = | |||
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| | module2 = | |||
| <!-- Achievements and titles --> | |||
| | worlds = | |||
| | regionals = | |||
| | nationals = | |||
| | olympics = | |||
| | paralympics = | |||
| | commonwealth = | |||
| | highestranking = | |||
| | pb = | |||
| <!-- Medal record --> | |||
| | show-medals = | |||
| | medaltemplates = | |||
| | medaltemplates-title = | |||
| | module3 = | |||
| }} | |||
| '''Aziz Ahmad''' (born c. 1964) is a professional ] player from ]. | |||
| ==Early life== | |||
| Ahmad was born in a farming village in northern ] to a poor family. He began playing Buzkashi at age 15.<ref name=twsj>{{cite news|last1=Abi-Habib|first1=Maria|last2=Fazly|first2=Walid|title=In Afghanistan's National Pastime, It's Better to Be a Hero Than a Goat|url=http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703841904576256632384932122.html|accessdate=13 April 2011|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=13 April 2011}}</ref> At the time that he began playing, Buzkashi was a ] for young men in the Kunduz region. Although he initially was not a successful player, his skill quickly improved and he soon became the champion of his village.<ref name=ttt>{{cite news|title=The sport of true warriors|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/03/18/2003298059/1|accessdate=13 April 2011|newspaper=The Taipei Times|agency=AFP|date=18 March 2006}}</ref> | |||
| Ahmad was born in a farming village in northern ] to a poor family. He began playing Buzkashi at age 15.<ref name=twsj>{{cite news|last1=Abi-Habib|first1=Maria|last2=Fazly |first2=Walid|title=In Afghanistan's National Pastime, It's Better to Be a Hero Than a Goat|url=https://www.wsj.com/articles/SB10001424052748703841904576256632384932122 |accessdate=13 April 2011|newspaper=The Wall Street Journal|date=13 April 2011}}</ref> At the time that he began playing, Buzkashi was a ] for young men in the Kunduz region.<ref name=ttt>{{cite news|title=The sport of true warriors|url=http://www.taipeitimes.com/News/feat/archives/2006/03/18/2003298059/1|accessdate=13 April 2011|newspaper=The Taipei Times|agency=AFP|date=18 March 2006}}</ref> | |||
| ==Military service== | |||
| At the age of 18 he was conscripted by the military of the ] during the ]. He soon defected from the government military to join the ] in order to wage ]. While serving with the Mujahideen he often traveled across the northeastern border into ]. There he collected American supplied weapons and brought them back into Afghanistan. The area that he traveled through was frequently bombed by Soviet jets. On one occasion, he narrowly avoided capture after being ambushed by a group of Soviet soldiers.<ref name=ttt/> | |||
| At the age of 18, he was conscripted by the military of the ] during the ]. He soon defected from the government military to join the ].<ref name=ttt /> | |||
| During the war, Ahmad was once able to join a group of Mujahideen who played Buzkashi before a group of dignitaries in Pakistan. Over the course of the war he was occasionally able to play Buzkashi in Afghan refugee camps in Pakistan, as well. In 1992 he was part of a group of Mujahideen who held a game of Buzkashi in ] to celebrate the capture of the city.<ref name=ttt/> | |||
| Ahmad initially left Kabul and returned to Kunduz after the ] began. His playing skill soon drew the attention of ], who was then a powerful ]. Fahim offered to sponsor him if he returned to play in Kabul and chartered a helicopter to bring him back. Ahmad remained in Kabul until leaving the city in 1996 shortly before it fell to the ], who then banned buzkashi. He returned to the north and joined the ] to fight against the Taliban in the ].<ref name=ttt /> | |||
| ==Playing career== | |||
| Ahmad initially left Kabul and returned to Kunduz after the ] began. His playing skill soon drew the attention of ], who was then a powerful ]. Fahim offered to sponsor him if he returned to play in Kabul and chartered a helicopter to bring him back. Ahmad remained in Kabul until leaving the city in 1996 shortly before it fell to the ], who then banned Buzkashi. He returned to the north and joined the ] to fight against the Taliban in the ].<ref name=ttt/> | |||
| After the fall of the Taliban during the ], Ahmad returned to his Buzkashi career and soon became known as the best living player.<ref name=ttt/><ref name=twsj |
After the fall of the Taliban during the ], Ahmad returned to his Buzkashi career and soon became known as the best living player.<ref name=ttt /><ref name=twsj /> | ||
| Ahmad now lives in a wealthy area of Kabul. {{As of|April 2011}} he has eleven children by his two wives.<ref name=twsj/> | |||
| ==References== | ==References== | ||
| {{Reflist}} | {{Reflist}} | ||
| {{Persondata <!-- Metadata: see ]. --> | |||
| {{Authority control}} | |||
| | NAME = Ahmad, Aziz | |||
| | ALTERNATIVE NAMES = | |||
| | SHORT DESCRIPTION = Afghan Buzkashi player | |||
| | DATE OF BIRTH = 1964 | |||
| | PLACE OF BIRTH = Kunduz, Afghanistan | |||
| | DATE OF DEATH = | |||
| | PLACE OF DEATH = | |||
| }} | |||
| {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmad, Aziz}} | {{DEFAULTSORT:Ahmad, Aziz}} | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | ] | ||
| ] | |||
| ] | |||
Latest revision as of 22:38, 29 July 2024
Afghani sportsman| Personal information | |
|---|---|
| Citizenship | Afghanistan |
| Sport | |
| Sport | Buzkashi |
Aziz Ahmad (born c. 1964) is a professional Buzkashi player from Afghanistan.
Ahmad was born in a farming village in northern Kunduz to a poor family. He began playing Buzkashi at age 15. At the time that he began playing, Buzkashi was a rite of passage for young men in the Kunduz region.
At the age of 18, he was conscripted by the military of the Democratic Republic of Afghanistan during the Soviet–Afghan War. He soon defected from the government military to join the Mujahideen.
Ahmad initially left Kabul and returned to Kunduz after the 1992 Civil war began. His playing skill soon drew the attention of Mohammed Fahim, who was then a powerful warlord. Fahim offered to sponsor him if he returned to play in Kabul and chartered a helicopter to bring him back. Ahmad remained in Kabul until leaving the city in 1996 shortly before it fell to the Taliban, who then banned buzkashi. He returned to the north and joined the Northern Alliance to fight against the Taliban in the ensuing Civil war.
After the fall of the Taliban during the 2001 War in Afghanistan, Ahmad returned to his Buzkashi career and soon became known as the best living player.
References
- ^ Abi-Habib, Maria; Fazly, Walid (13 April 2011). "In Afghanistan's National Pastime, It's Better to Be a Hero Than a Goat". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 13 April 2011.
- ^ "The sport of true warriors". The Taipei Times. AFP. 18 March 2006. Retrieved 13 April 2011.