Ramadhan - Sports

Many Muslim athletes will be combining the physical demands of their sport with the rigours of all-day fasting when Ramadhan, the holiest month in the Islamic calendar, gets underway on 21 August... A pioneering new study by FIFA medical experts suggest that it can be done...

Suprising results...

The results, published in the December 2008 "Journal of Sports Sciences", suprised even the experts, since they showed no adverse effects among the fasting players in any of the measured biochemical, nutritional and performances variables. In fact, the physical performances of the fasting players improved slightly during the Ramadhan training sessions.

It was really amazing for us to see these kind of results in what was a very high-level study involving a lot of top international scientist. There is a clear perception among many coaches and sports people that the Ramadhan fast has a negative effect on performance, but there is little scientific evidence to support this suggestion.

On possible explanation for the stability of the players performance levels may lie in the nature of the Ramadhan fast itself, which does not so mush prevent players from eating their normal diets, but rather forces them to simply alter the timing of their meals. The Ramadhan fast (or sawm) stipulates that Muslims may take food or drink only between sunset and sunrise.

This presents absolutely no problem when it comes to health because our body uses nutrients on a 24-hour basis regardless of when exactly we eat or drink. Bt it does mean that players should pay close attention to what they do eat and drink at the permitted times. It is recomended that they get enough sleep and good nutrition during Ramadhan to preserve both their performances and their general health. They shouls also think about taking four or five days to adjust to their new eating routine, similar to the time that athletes should take when adjusting to changes in attitude.

Please click here for a detailed summary of the reports finding from F-MARC ( FIFA Medical Assessment and Research Centre)

Bintang bola sepak turut berpuasa

KANOUTE

REAL MADRID - Beberapa bintang bola sepak yang beragama Islam seperti Freddie Kanoute tetap berpuasa walaupun bermain dalam bulan Ramadan, lapor sebuah akhbar semalam.

Bekas penyerang kelab bola sepak Tottenham Hotspur di England itu, Kanoute kini bermain untuk kelab Sevilla di Sepanyol.

Pemain yang turut mengikuti langkah Kanoute adalah Mahamadou Diarra, Lassana Diara dan Karim Benzema dari kelab bola sepak Real Madrid.

Semasa bulan puasa, beberapa doktor terpaksa bekerja pada setiap masa bagi memikirkan formula terbaik sebagai rutin untuk memastikan pemain-pemain itu kekal cergas semasa bulan puasa.

Beberapa akhbar tabloid Sepanyol memainkan tajuk utama akhbar mengenai bulan puasa dan perdebatan sama ada pemain sepatutnya dibenarkan berpuasa dan bermain bola pada masa yang sama di bulan Ramadan.

KARIM

Namun, Kanoute bertegas mahu meneruskan ibadah puasa dan bermain bola sepak di bulan Ramadan.

"Saya cuba untuk menghormati kepercayaan saya dan mengikut ajarannya selagi saya mampu.

"Semasa bulan Ramadan, saya memberikan sepenuh tenaga untuk kelab saya dan tidak mengecewakan rakan sepasukan.

"Setiap orang amat baik terhadap kami dan mereka memahami saya," kata Kanoute. - Agensi

Muslim leader blasts Mourinho over comment on Ramadan

ROME: A Muslim leader in Italy on Tuesday criticised Inter Milan coach Jose Mourinho (pic) for comments the Portuguese made about Ramadan at the weekend.

Muslims around the world are fasting during the Islamic holy month of Ramadan, during which faithful followers abstain from eating or drinking during daylight hours.

One of those followers is Inter’s Ghana midfielder Muntari Sulley, who Mourinho hauled off after just half an hour of Sunday’s 1-1 home draw against Bari due to the former Portsmouth man’s poor performance.

Afterwards, Mourinho suggested Sulley had played badly due to a lack of energy associated with his fast.

But Mohamed Nour Dachan, president of the Union of Islamic communities and organisations in Italy (UCOII), claimed the coach has got it wrong.

“I think Mourinho could do with talking a little less,” he told SKY TV.

“A practising (Muslim) player is not weakened because we know from the Institute of Sports Medicine that mental and psychological stability can give a sportsman an extra edge on the field.

“A player who is a believing Christian, Jew or Muslim is certainly calmer pyschologically and that improves his performance.”

That is an opinion that Mourinho did not share on Sunday and he was clearly irked with his player after the match.

“Muntari had some problems related to Ramadan, perhaps with this heat it’s not good for him to be doing this (fasting),” said Mourinho.

“Ramadan has not arrived at the ideal moment for a player to play a football match.” — AFP

Selamat menunaikan ibadah puasa kepada semua warga sukan.

Saya ingin memohon kemaafan yang sewajarnya, sempena menyambut Ramadhan Al-Mubarak tahun ini.

Semoga IBADAH kita semua dalam bulan yang MULIA ini diberkati ALLAH SWT.

Jika Ramadhan ini adalah yang terakhir, bahawa MATI itu PASTI, HIDUP Insyallah.
Oleh yang sedemikian KEMAAFAN dari semua di pohonkan.

Selamat BERIBADAH dan BERPUASA.

Wassalam.