Shaik Abdul Hameed: Elevating Indian Ten-Pin Bowling to Global Heights
“For me, success isn’t just about winning titles; it’s about breaking barriers and inspiring others to believe in their own potential.” ~ Shaik Abdul Hameed
Shaik Abdul Hameed’s journey in ten-pin bowling is one of remarkable determination and passion. As an instrumental person in the Indian tenpin bowling, he has always reached for the stars and defied the limitation of the sport due to the confidence he has about himself.
Shaik dreamt about being the first Indian in the history of the sport to win the Thailand Tour Title of the Asian Bowling Federation (ABF) in 2014, he accomplished that by beating Mahmood Al Attar of the UAE with a score of 242 to 183. This achievement did not only bring glory to the nation; as a result, his foothold on the international stage as a bowler was also fortified.
Shaik’s fascination with the game developed in 2002 whereby he won a medal at the Commonwealth Tenpin Bowling Championship, the first medal for India. He won Gold Medals in Singles and master’s along with Silver in All Events. To Shaik, these victories were not only about medals, rather it was a step further towards his quest of raising the sport where it had been ignored over the years.
In spite of all his success, Shaik has kept the bigger picture in focus all throughout. In 2015 Shaik took the progressive step of filing a petition in the Delhi High Court and sought state recognition through this award which is why he felt it was necessary to pursue the Arjuna Award.
His motivation was not for his own personal glory, but rather to promote ten-pin bowling and to motivate the young players of India to take up the game seriously. However, Shaik is not limited to the sport alone. Indeed, during the 2020 lockdown when a lot of people faced hardships of all kinds, he came out of the cocoon to work for the underprivileged.
Through the family’s Trust, he was able to coordinate relief work where rations were provided to over 50,000 people with a target of one million. He himself managed these activities so that people living in Delhi, Bhopal, Mumbai, and some parts of Andhra Pradesh could avail of the essential supplies. Shaik’s trait of modesty led him to refuse financial support from other sources and to carry out these activities within the family only.
Currently, Shaik Abdul Hameed is in the forefront of not only sports as an athlete but as a leader. As the first Indian Chairman of the Commonwealth Union Tenpin Bowling Network, he is driving the promotion of the sport among the people of Commonwealth countries. He is also committed to develop new talent, develop solidarity bridges as well as offer base development opportunities to the bowlers. His journey teaches us that with determination and the will to help others, all’s well that ends well.
