The 7th World
Zarathushti Games Does Its Purpose
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Adult Basketball Junior Basketball Volleyball Table Tennis Track &
Field Swimming
From every nook and corner of the globe over 400
Zarathushti sports enthusiasts flocked to Houston, Texas and its unexpected low
temperatures. Relatives and friends met each other on December 25th
at the J.W.Marriott hotel where they collected their registration package. Warm
greetings and laughter filled the room as well as frustration from athletes who
did not register properly. Though many of them stayed at the prestigious
five-star hotel, the glut of Zarathushtis staying at the hotel all at one time
was more than the hotel’s heating system could manage.
Nevertheless, with an apathetic attitude about the
cold and frustration, at 7 a.m. the young and old followers of the faith piled
on the buses and headed for Klein School, the setting of the games. There was
an assembly of people as well as an assembly of emotions. The arrogant and the
humble were there with hearts burning with nationalism as they were given the
flag of their nation to boast and to chant a famous national tune or anthem. As
a final privilege, the athletes trotted triumphantly around Klein basketball
gym in front of a solicitous crowd of family and friends. Adding to this scene, the Houston
cheerleaders entertained and rallied the crowd. The Olympic torch followed,
carried proudly by Houstonian Justin Mody who circled the gym so that all maybe
inspired by its glow. The torch was then passed to Ervad Bomanshah Sanjana to
light the ‘diva’ and recite a short benediction. The U.S. and Canadian national anthems followed sung proudly and
with gusto by Sonia Behrana and Vista Pourbahrami. This was followed by the Westbury School Brigade dancers who
dazzled the crowd with their show. A
few short welcome speeches were then given by the Sports Co-chairs Rustom
Khosravian of Houston and Artemis Javanshir of California (Bijan Khosraviani
spoke in her absence), and also by the Congress Co-chairs Homi Davier and Dolly
Dastoor. To enhance the olympic spirit
and to everyones surprise, a celebrity speaker was introduced to the
crowd. He was Houstonian Steven Lopez,
Tae Kwon Do gold medallist at the Sydney Olympics. Steven shared his olympic experience and presented a few words to
encourage the athletes even further. Then the games began.
Over land, water, and air
Zarathushtis used wit and muscle to conquer competition. Houstonian Tanya Noble stole gold in the 25
yd freestyle, backstroke and breaststroke, dominating the under thirteen year
old age bracket for boys and girls. The
14 – 20 year old males' bracket presented an exciting rivalry between Pakistani
Narius Shekdar and Californian Bahram Parineh. Each battling for gold but both
came up even with two golds and two silver medals in the 50 yd freestyle,
backstroke, breaststroke and individual medley events. Indian swimming sensation Zeba Wadia gained
much wealth as she earned four gold medals in 50 yd freestyle, backstroke,
breaststroke and individual medley.
Though the 20 years and above events were commanded by men with Farshad
Bakhtyari winning the gold in 50 yd freestyle and Xerxes Commissariat winning
the gold in 50 yd breaststroke, an
elated victory came when Houstonian Anita Wolfe let the gold rest on a more
feminine neck as she won the 50 yd backstroke by more than three seconds from
her closest male rival. Joyful screams filled the natatorium as the women
showed their appreciation for their champion. Another exhilarating race was the
50 yd freestyle relay except that the two teams were striving for a silver
medal. The gold was comfortably won by Xerxes Commissariat, Narius Shekdar,
Farzain Malbari and Karmin Guzder. The
race for the silver was gruelingly close but Farshad Bakhtyari, Bahman Yazdani,
Ramesch Izedian, and Wistasb Kushesh
must have had longer fingers as
they won silver by four milliseconds.
Track and field undoubtedly tested
the tolerance of the participants as they competed in a nearly freezing
temperature of 34 degrees Fahrenheit. Mitra Mehta and Vandad Pourbahrami took
gold in the under 13 age bracket. In the adult bracket the 100 meter and 400
meter dash were won by Mehrnosh Bamboat and Feroza Engineer won the women’s
race. Both of these victors are national track stars from India. Lala Yazad won
the men’s 1500 meter final while Zeenia Challa won gold for the women’s 1500
meter final. The United States was successful in the 100 meter men’s relay as
its team “Wings” consisting of Justin Mody, Berzin Bhandra, Neville Sorab, and
Yazad Lala claimed gold. The women’s 100 meter relay was won by the team “Speed Racers” consisting of Zeenia Challa and the three Behramsha sisters,
Zarin, Kashmira and Jasmine. The shot
put men’s final produced gold medallist Zubin Irani while the women’s resulted
in Indian Feroza Engineer being the winner. In the discus throw, Houstonian
Justin Mody stole the gold by beating the closest competition by five meters.
New Yorker Vista Kushesh received gold in the women’s discus throw.
Basketball was one of the most
intensive sports as the referees were lenient on the fouls proving to be rough
games. But team “ Good Fellas” from Boston disregarded this as they won the
gold medal with players Cyrus Commissariat, Arjang Kasravi, Shahram Khosraviani,
Shahnam Khosraviani, Farshad Bakhtyari, Sam Bastani, Hooman Shad, and Arman
Teherani. The junior basketball events under 13 had the “Misfits” as the
champion. This team consisted of Kaivan Dadachanji, Faridun Dadachanji,
Shirelle Noble, Tanya Noble, Malcolm Irani, Ryan Namiri, and Roxanne Mody.
The sport of volleyball drew the
largest crowds and sometimes the loudest crowds. More Houstonians became richer
as the home team awkwardly named the “Rubber Duckies,” took gold medals thanks
to Zarin Behramsha, Faredun Bhader, Shaki Commissariat, Khodi Irani, Erik
Kelawala, Jal Sethna, Veera Sidhwa, Mehrnosh Sodawaterwala, and Darius Wania.
To get those medals the Houston team had to face Texas rival ZANT from Dallas.
It was a hard fought victory and Houston came out triumphant winning two games
out of three.
And last but not the least table
tennis had its moment in the spot light.
Some people may not consider table tennis a sport but it demands mental
and physical abilities. Men’s singles champion Farzaan Pudumjee of India and
women’s singles champion Villi Bhappu of Houston proved the finesse needed to
excel in the sport. Men’s doubles champion was won by Percy Behramsha and
Behramjee Ghadially while the Mixed Doubles was won by Villi Bhappu and Rustom
Challa, showing viewers the concentration needed to stay organized in a
fast-paced game such as table tennis.
The U.S. dominated in the medal standings 57 in
total, 19 of them being gold. India and
Canada gained a total of 13 medals each.
However, India dominated the swimming and track and field events bagging
10 golds out of a total of 13, a remarkable feat. Pakistan had 4 to its credit and UK picked up 1 silver.
The
masterminds behind this great sport tournament, the Houston Zarathushti Sports
Committee had their work cut out for them
once they accepted such a task.
One must not forget the sacrifice they took when they donated their time
and hard work so that the games would be superior to all others and for that
the Zoroastrian athletes around the world are forever grateful.
Like all great events, the 7th
World Zarathushti Games came to an end on December 27th, 2000. On the 30th
of December, Zoroastrian cheerleaders introduced the award ceremony with a
dance number that they had been dedicated to for many days and were awarded
with a standing ovation. Fereidoon
Demehri and his Gatha group then entertained the crowd by singing a few
melodious Gatha songs in different languages.
It was heart warming to listen to the Gathas sung in Dari (a language of
our forefathers and unto this day spoken by most Iranian Zarathushtis) to the
beat of the ‘Araboon’ so dexterously
performed by Fereidoon. There were loud
cheers as they finished their act, and anticipation settled in and the athletes
braced themselves as their names were being called out by Rustom Kanga, Ken
Bhappu, and Rustom Khosravian. As
athletes young and matured were called up to shake the hands of the major
sports donors: Mr. Happy Minwalla of Tradewinds (Mr. Ken Bhappu represented him
in his absence), Fezana Chairman Mr. Framroze Patel, and Mr. Tehmtan Aresh,
mothers and fathers burst with pride as they watched their son or daughter
receive their medal and stand on the gold, silver, or bronze podium. Confidence
in the athletes was at an all time high and photographers lighted the room with
flashes, all eager to capture that moment. As the lights dimmed so did the
flame and reality approached. Possibly the last organized sports event of the
century, the competition of the games has united Zarathushtis around the world,
truly serving its purpose.
MEDAL STANDINGS BY COUNTRY
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
Canada 1 5 7 13
India 10 2 1 13
Pakistan 2 2 0 4
UK 0 1 0 1
USA 19 19 19 57
MEDAL STANDINGS BY STATES (USA)
Country Gold Silver Bronze Total
California 3 5 6 14
Florida 0 1 0 1
Massachussetts 2 0 0 2
Michigan 1 3 0 4
New York 1 0 2 3
Texas 12 9 11 32
Washington 0 1 0 1
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Boys & Girls Under 13
25 yd Freestyle
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Tanya Noble USA Texas 16:647
Silver Lauren Wolfe USA Texas 23:615
Bronze Kaiwan Dahmubed USA California 24:34
25 yd Backstroke
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Tanya Noble USA Texas 22:147
Silver Farrahnaz Bulsara Canada Ontario 29:906
Bronze Lauren Wolfe USA Texas 31:923
25 yd Breaststroke
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Tanya Noble USA Texas 20:734
Silver Lauren Wolfe USA Texas 34:35
Bronze Farrahnaz Bulsara Canada Ontario 36:91
14 to 20 Year Old Females
50 yd Freestyle
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Zeba Wadia India 27:524
Silver Shireen Irani USA Texas 29:94
Bronze Karmin Guzder USA Texas 33:926
50 yd Backstroke
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Zeba Wadia India 33:210
Silver Shireen Irani USA Texas 40:544
Bronze Deena Guzder USA Texas 48:91
50 yd Breaststroke
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Zeba Wadia India 35:944
Silver Shireen Irani USA Texas 43:095
Bronze Deena Guzder USA Texas 52:100
4 x 25 yd Individual Medley
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Zeba Wadia India 1:09:072
Silver Shireen Irani USA Texas 1:20:37
Bronze Karmin Guzder USA Texas 1:25:38
14 to 20 Year Old Males
50 yd Freestyle
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Bahram Parineh USA California 30:12
Silver Narius Shekdar Pakistan 32:15
Bronze Arya Iranpour Canada British Columbia 32:64
50 yd Backstroke
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Narius Shekdar Pakistan 39:58
Silver Bahram Parineh USA California 45:45
Bronze Cyrus Dadachanji USA California 49:528
50 yd Breaststroke
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Bahram Parineh USA California 35:053
Silver Narius Shekdar Pakistan 38:687
Bronze Arya Iranpour Canada British Columbia 44:59
4 x 25 yd Individual Medley
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Narius Shekdar Pakistan 1:13:352
Silver Bahram Parineh USA California 1:20:00
Bronze Arya Iranpour Canada British Columbia 1:30:35
20 Years Plus Male & Female
50 yd Freestyle
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Farshad Bakhtyari USA Massachussetts 28:981
Silver Farzain Malbari Canada 30:623
Bronze Xerxes Commissariat USA Texas 32:163
50 yd Backstroke
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Anita Wolfe USA Texas 46:689
Silver Farzain Malbari Canada 49:999
Bronze Ramesch Izedian USA Massachussetts 55:19
50 yd Breaststroke
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Xerxes Commissariat USA Texas 36:593
Silver Farzain Malbari Canada 42:385
Bronze Anita Wolfe USA Texas 47:29
4 x 50 yd Freestyle Relay
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Xerxes
Commissariat, Narius
Shekdar, Farzain
Malbari,
Karmin Guzder 2:08:525
Silver Farshad
Bakhtyari, Bahman
Yazdani, Ramesch
Izedian,
Wistasb Kushesh 2:41:70
Bronze Arya
Iranpour, Deena Guzder,
Ari Jahanian,
Tanya Noble 2:41:74
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Track & Field
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Girls Under 13
100 Meters Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Mitra Mehta USA Texas 19:27
Silver Naomi Bhappu USA Texas 20:08
Boys Under 13
100 Meters Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Vandad Pourbahrami Canada British Columbia 16:04
Silver Sam Vesuna USA 16:72
Bronze Kaiwan Dadachanji USA California 18:60
Women
100 Meters Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Feroza Engineer India 12:69
Silver Ava Lala USA Michigan 14:83
Bronze Shirelle Noble USA Texas 16:21
Men
100 Meters Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Mehrnosh Bamboat India 11:49
Silver Neville Sorab UK 11:95
Bronze Zubin Irani USA California 12:79
Women
400 Meters Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Feroza Engineer India 1:10:63
Silver Ava Lala USA Michigan 1:13:33
Bronze Shirelle Noble USA Texas 1:31:33
Men
400 Meters Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Mehrnosh Bamboat India 55:96
Silver Yazad Lala USA Michigan 58:73
Bronze Zubin Irani USA California 1:04:67
Women
1500 Meters Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Zeenia Challa USA Texas 8:27:22
Men
1500 Meters Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Yazad Lala USA Michigan 6:07
Silver Ardeshir Dabestani USA Washington 6:22:54
Bronze Kershaw Patel USA Texas 6:29:72
Women
4 x 100 Meters Relay Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Team:
Speed Racers
Zeenia
Challa, Zarin Behramsha,
Jasmine
Behramsha, Kashmira
Behramsha 1:16:85
Men
4 x 100 Meters Relay Final
Place Name Country State Time
Gold Team:
Wings
Justin Mody,
Berzin Bhandara,
Neville Sorab,
Yazad Lala 54:32
Silver Team:
Vancouver
Farhad Dastur,
Cyrus Mizan…
…………………………….. 56:32
Bronze Team:
Oddballs 57:46
Women
Shot Put Final
Place Name Country State Distance (meters)
Gold Feroza Engineer India 8:77
Silver Kainaz Mistry India 6:10
Men
Shot Put Final
Place Name Country State Distance (meters)
Gold Zubin Irani USA California 11:44
Silver Rohinton Noble USA Texas 11:13
Bronze Justin Mody USA Texas 10:73
Women
Discus Throw Final
Place Name Country State Distance (meters)
Gold Vista Kushesh USA New York 14:03
Silver Kazvean Peddar India 12:71
Bronze Kainaz Mistry India 12:04
Men
Discus Throw Final
Place Name Country State Distance (meters)
Gold Justin Mody USA Texas 29:04
Silver Houshang Jangi USA California 24:14
Bronze Zubin Irani USA California 23:61
====================================
ÚDÛCßVßÛ ÍDGOÇwF
===================================
Place Name
Gold Team:
Misfits
Kaiwan
Dadachanji, Faridun Dadachanji,
Shirelle Noble, Tanya
Noble, Malcolm Irani,
Ryan Namiri,
Roxanne Mody
Silver Kaiwan
Dahmubed, Cyrus Mehrfar, Cyrus Nentin,
Vandad
Pourbahrami, Sam Vesuna, Natalie Framji
……………………………..
Bronze Team: Houston
Zoros
Alex
Beheshti, Firoze Cooper, Shayan Darayan,
Cyrus
Desai, Anahita Desai, Zubin Engineer,
Ashdin
Medhora, Jimmy Sethna, Zane Sethna
====================================
ÚÓDwÊorF ÍDGOÇwF
===================================
Place Name
Gold Team:
Good Fellas
Cyrus
Commissariat, Arjang Kasravi, Shahram
Khosraviani,
Shahnam Khosraviani, Farshad Bakhtyari,
Sam Bastani,
Hooman Shad, Arman Teherani
Silver Team:
LA
Rostam
Bakhtari, Sam Namiri, Mehran Namiri,
Behrooz
Khosraviani, Shahriar Adorbehi, Sima Namiri,
Kambiz
Soheil
……………………………..
Bronze Team:
Vancouver
Jamiel
Djamtorki, Mehran Kiananfard, Ashkan Meherabani,
Farhad
Mehrkhodavandi, Cyrus Mizan, Khodabaksh
Shahbandari,
Shahryar Khosraviani, Meherban Poulad
====================
Volleyball
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====================
Place Name
Gold Team:
Houston “Rubber Duckies”
Zarin Behramsha,
Faredun Bhader, Shaki Commissariat,
Khodi Irani,
Erik Kelawala, Jal Sethna, Veera Sidhwa,
Darius Wania
Silver Team:
Dallas ZANT
Poras
Balsara, Kali Buhariwalla, Barjis Ghadially,
Rohinton
Noble, Ashish Pithawala, Mehraban Roshanrawan,
Shayzreen
Roshanrawan, Shireen Roshanrawan, Dinyar
Kavouspour
Bronze Team:
New York “Billy Goats”
Stefan
Byramji, Adrian Byramji, Neville Clubwala,
Danesh
Modi, Yasha Modi, Sarosh Nentin, Sheri Nentin,
Arnaz
Rustomji
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ÌÜJ ÌÜìJ
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Men’s Singles
Place Name Country State
Gold Farzaan Pudumjee India
Silver Sohrab Fracis USA Florida
Bronze Malcolm Variava Canada Ontario
Women’s Singles
Place Name Country State
Gold Villi Bhappu USA Texas
Silver Chisti Dadachanji USA California
Bronze Delnavaz Mistry Canada Ontario
Men’s Doubles
Place Name Country State
Gold Percy Behramsha & Behramjee
Ghadially
Silver Malcolm Variava & Yazdin Mistry
Mixed Doubles
Place Name Country State
Gold Villi Bhappu & Rustom
Challa
Silver Yazdin Mistry & Delnavaz
Mistry
Bronze Sohrab Fracis & Afreed Mistry