Football, basketball listed atop most active federations.
Some of the most active sports federations receive accolades for drawing the most "fanatical" crowds and for organizing tournaments and other competitions.
In a ceremony on January 23 in Erbil city, Kurdistan's Olympic Committee (KOC) awarded six sports federations in the region for their active roles in developing sports in Kurdistan in 2009.
The federations include football, basketball, volleyball, table tennis, cycling, and track and field.
"The selection of the best federations was not done haphazardly, but it was based on their activities in organizing competitions and their effectiveness on drawing fanatical fans and players to the games," said Muayad Maghdid, KOC vice president.
He added: "The committee watched the activities of approximately 30 sports federations in Kurdistan Region in the matter of organizing leagues and competitions and the results of the clubs, especially at the Iraqi and Asian level."
According to a claimed accurate estimation by KOC, Kurdistan Football Federation (KFF) was first, as they were able to organize annual premier, 1st-grade, 2nd-grade, and 3rd-grade football leagues for the region's clubs. Running tournaments for youths and juniors was also another active step taken by KFA to promote well-trained senior footballers for the future.
Over the last three years, the KFF became the most active federation particularly after forming the Kurdistan national team. "We try, through events such as participating in VIVA World Cup, to prove that we are capable of playing at international levels, and we try to attract international federation's attention to the current sports progression in Kurdistan," said Saffen Kanaby, KFF president.
For nations unable to compete in the FIFA World Cup, they have been given an opportunity to take part in it. The Cup is held every two years and organized by the New Federation Board, an umbrella federation for nations unaffiliated with FIFA.
Kanaby and some other sports officials visited Paris on December 5 and met with 17 stateless regions' representatives to discuss several issues including preparation for the 2010 VIVA World Cup in Malta and the possibility of hosting the 2012 VIVA Cup in Kurdistan. Kanaby is now a VIVA bureau executive member.
In addition to the Kurdistan team, the Erbil football club, which won Iraq league title three consecutive times, and the Newroz footsal club would participate in the Asian championships if Iraq's football federation had not been suspended.
The Kurdistan Basketball Federation (KBA), which was chosen as the second most active federation, has created a suitable situation for basketball players to prove themselves via several indoor halls and arranged matches. Duhok's male basketball club is now at the top of the Iraqi league. Akad's female basketball team has won the Iraqi league title five times so far.
Most sports observers agree with selecting the Volleyball Federation as the third most active federation, as they have gathered a vast number of male and female players for the youth and junior teams with bright future.
In individual sports, the Table Tennis Federation (TTF) won the first most active federation award. Opening hundreds of cultural centers where the table tennis game is highly practiced has encouraged students join the sports clubs. The increase in the number of players has forced the TTF to organize many games for teams.
Selecting the Cycling Federation as the second most active individual game federation did not surprise people, especially when the roads are full of cyclists preparing for races. "This is the first time we as a cycling federation receive an award," stated Kana'an Esmael, Kurdistan Cycling Federation's representative at the ceremony. "We have many good cyclists who always have positive results in Iraqi and outside contributions." Esmael asked the KOC to help Kurdish cyclists to further contribute in Iraqi races.
The Track and Field Federation is the third most active individual game federation in Kurdistan Region, according to the KOC's estimation. Some people believe that Gulistan Mahmud and Bahar Khasro, two female runners who are now record holders in several different events other than running in Iraq, obliged the federation to respond to players' demands to arrange more competitions.
Although the awards were considered a motivating process, they did not please other federations. Almera Ahmed, the Kurdish Iraqi female Taekwondo national team deputy coach, criticized the KOC for not mentioning the Taekwondo Federation as one of the most active. "I do not know on which basis the awards were given. Our athletes are either in the championships or in the strengthening courses all the time," stated Ahmed.
"Last month we came back from Korea after going through an intensive course in Hanzo Taekwondo University that lasted for 45 days. We have eight Kurdish fighters in the Iraqi Taekwondo team. Doesn't the KOC call these things activities?" asked Ahmed.
After all the six so-called federations were given awards, Dr. Alan Qadir, KOC secretary, assured the other federations that the estimation was accurate and far removed from individual and organizational interference. "I ask the other 26 federations not to feel bad or become inactive, because the estimation will be repeated every year," noted Qadir.
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