Sport

Local mountaineer becomes first Afghan to summit Mount Everest

Published

2 years ago

May 18, 2023

Samuel Sidiqi, a trailblazing adventurer, on Wednesday became the first Afghan to reach the summit of Mount Everest - etching his name forever in history.

In a message to Ariana News on Thursday he said: “I was able to summit Everest yesterday, and hiked safely down today [to Base Camp].”

Sidiqi embarked on his Everest expedition with the aim of raising awareness and generating funds for the development of skiing and mountaineering through the charitable trust he established, Afghan Peaks.

In conquering this towering peak, he showcased his personal determination and resilience and said he hopes his achievement serves as an inspiring message to the youth of Afghanistan – that with unwavering dedication, Afghans can overcome any obstacle and achieve greatness.

“By climbing Mount Everest, I aim to convey a powerful message to all Afghan boys and girls, empowering them to believe that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to,” he said.

“Despite the challenges that our nation has faced in the last half century, Afghanistan possesses boundless potential for growth. Through hard work and unwavering determination, we can pave the way for a prosperous future.”

Sidiqi has long been dedicated to developing the mountains of Afghanistan in terms of sport, safety and nature conservation through his Afghan Peaks Charitable Trust.

Over the past three years, Afghan Peaks has sponsored an exhilarating ski race in Bamiyan, in Afghanistan.

He stated: “My ascent of Everest serves as a clarion call to the world, drawing attention to Afghan Peak’s mission of developing Afghanistan’s breathtaking mountains, which hold incredible promise for mountain sports and tourism. While we already host an annual ski race in Bamiyan, Afghan Peaks envisions a future of many ski teams across the mountainous regions of Afghanistan, awaiting support from passionate individuals and organizations.”

Towering at an impressive 8,849 meters (29,031 feet), Mount Everest in the Himalayas is the world’s highest peak and for thousands of mountaineers around the world, summiting Everest is the pinnacle in their climbing careers.

May is the busiest month on Mount Everest, and according to The Himalayan Database, a website that tracks Himalayan mountaineering, approximately 80 percent of the 11,341 successful Everest summits have occurred between the dates May 15 and 26.

The peak is located between Nepal and Tibet, an autonomous region of China and the first ever recorded people to climb Everest were Edmund Hillary, a mountaineer from New Zealand, and his Tibetan guide Tenzing Norgay. They climbed the mountain in 1953 and hold the record together.

While climbing Mount Everest has become a popular expedition for mountaineers, it is a dangerous undertaking and requires a lot of mountaineering experience and a clean bill of health.

The snow and ice on the mountain create deadly hazards like avalanches, and there is only a limited climbing season due to bad weather conditions.

But perhaps the biggest danger is the altitude. Most climbers are not accustomed to the high altitude and low oxygen levels and rely on bottled oxygen they bring along.

This is why the area above 8,000 meters (26,000 feet) elevation on Everest is called the “death zone.” Climbers who spend long periods in this region can develop altitude sickness and even brain swelling.

Related Topics:#LocalMountaineer #MountEverest Afghan ArianaNews featured

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Ariana News to broadcast IPL auction live and exclusively in Afghanistan

Published

12 hours ago

November 21, 2024

Ariana News

The highly anticipated TATA Indian Premier League (IPL) Player Auction will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia on Sunday November 24 and Monday November 25 - an event that will be broadcast to Afghanistan’s cricket fans live and exclusively by Ariana Television and Radio Network (ATN).

The two-day event will be broadcast live and exclusively on Ariana News.

The Indian Premier League (IPL) 2025 mega auction will be held in Jeddah, Saudi Arabia, this year. It will be the second time that the IPL mega auction is held outside India after last year's event in Dubai.

This year's mega auction will have 1,574 players registered, of which 574 names will go under the hammer.

Of those 574, a total of 366 players will be Indian and 208 will be foreign cricketers.

A number of big names will be in fray, with as many as 81 players choosing to register themselves under the highest base price bracket of Rs 2 crore ($237,000).

Afghan players

Eighteen Afghan players have been shortlisted for the IPL mega auction.

Two hundred and four (204) slots will be up for grabs with 70 available slots for overseas players.

Full list of Afghan players shortlisted for the auction:

Rahmanullah Gurbaz
Noor Ahmad
Waqar Salamkheil
Allah Mohammad Ghazanfar
Mujeeb-ur-Rahman
Azmatullah Omarzai
Naveen-ul-haq
Zahir Khan Pakten
Sediqullah Atal
Mohammad Nabi
Gulbadin Naib
Fazalhaq Farooqi
Najibullah Zadran
Ibrahim Zadran
Qais Ahmad
Karim Janat
Faridoon Dawoodzai
Nangyal Kharote

For cricket fans across the country, the IPL mega auction broadcast will be on Sunday and Monday from 1.30pm Kabul time on Ariana News. For more information and updated stories be sure to watch this space and follow us on social media.

Sport

Pakistan trumps Afghanistan by only 13 runs in U19 Tri-Series One Day match

Chasing 245 to win, Afghanistan lost their opening batter Mahboob Khan in the first over but recovered as Uzairullah Niazai and Faisal Shinozada secured a 104-run partnership for the second wicket

Published

2 days ago

November 20, 2024

Ariana News

Afghanistan’s U-19 cricket team went down to Pakistan by only 13 runs on Wednesday in their third tri-nation series One Day match at the ICC Academy in Dubai.

This was Pakistan’s first win over Afghanistan in the ongoing tournament after the Afghans defeated their opponents by 100 runs at the same venue on Friday.

Chasing 245 to win, Afghanistan lost their opening batter Mahboob Khan in the first over but recovered as Uzairullah Niazai and Faisal Shinozada secured a 104-run partnership for the second wicket.

After Faisal’s departure, Uzairullah soon followed with Afghanistan at 142 for three in 26.5 overs.

Afghanistan were bundled out for 231 in 46.4 overs.

Earlier, after opting to bat first, Pakistan’s opening pair Shahzaib Khan and Usman Khan provided a solid 129-run stand to Pakistan.

Left-handed Usman, who scored a century against Afghanistan in the previous match, scored an 88-ball 77, which included eight fours.

Shahzaib meanwhile top-scored for the side with 78 off 101 balls, hitting seven boundaries.

For Afghanistan, Abdul Aziz Khan and Khatir Khan Stanikzai bagged three wickets apiece, while Naseer Khan Maroofkhil snapped two wickets.

Pakistan will take on the hosts UAE U19 in their last group match on Friday, 22 November.

In a post on X, the Afghanistan Cricket Board (ACB) said late Wednesday: “Not the result we would have wanted but Afghanistan Future Stars will look to bounce back in the next match.”

Afghanistan will take on UAE U19 on Sunday, November 24.

Sport

Afghanistan beat UAE by 169 runs in U19 tri-series

Published

4 days ago

November 18, 2024

Ariana News

Afghanistan under-19 cricket team defeated the United Arab Emirates under-19 team by 169 runs in their second match of the tri-nation series in Dubai on Monday.

Batting first after winning the toss, Afghans posted 359-5 as they played all the mandated 50 overs in the ICC Academy in Dubai.

Faisal Khan scored 156 runs while captain Mehboob Khan made 141.

In reply, UAE made 190 before they were all out in the 45.4 overs.

It is Afghanistan U19's second consecutive win in the two matches they have played so far in the tri-series.

Afghanistan U19 defeated Pakistan by 100 runs in their first match.

Afghanistan U19 will meet Pakistan U19 again on Wednesday.