Table tennis prodigy Fathimath Dheema Ali continues to make waves

What were you doing at 10 years old? Presumably not competing for your country in a world championship.

But that's what Fathimath Dheema Ali was doing in 2018 when the Maldivian competed at the table tennis World Team Championships taking place in Sweden. By doing so, the schoolgirl became the youngest ever competitor at a table tennis worlds.

A year on from her debut, and now an experienced 11-year-old, Dheema Ali claimed three gold medals at the 2019 Indian Ocean Island Games (IOIG), the same competition in which she'll compete this week at the Madagascar-hosted edition of the quadrennial tournament taking place from 25 August to 3 September.

The table-tennis prodigy, still just a teenager, is making such waves that as of February 2022, was selected to be supported on the International Olympic Committee (IOC) scholarship programme. She has also already competed at a Commonwealth Games, and will carry the flag at the opening ceremony at the Mahamasina Stadium at the Island Games starting Friday (25 August).

Quite the juggle then between competitions, training, and schoolwork but something the youngster relishes.

IOC scholarship provides importsnt support 

“I feel so excited coming to Sweden," Dheema Ali told the International Table Tennis Federation (ITTF) while at the worlds in 2018. “I am particularly proud to represent my country on a big stage like this."

Accompanied by her mother on the trips, Aishath Waheeda is not just proud of her daughter for her sporting accomplishments.

“I am so happy and excited to see my daughter representing Maldives... She is also doing well in her studies and this for us is enough to motivate us to continue backing her. She is here in Sweden because of the support we gave her, and I want to charge other parents to support their wards in whatever they love to do but not to the detriment of their education."

Hopping with excitement at the training hall in the Halmstad Arena, not only in anticipation of her first match, there was a bit of fangirling going on too, but not for the likes of Harry Styles.

"I could never have imagined that I will be playing in same competition as my idol, Ding Ning of China. I cannot wait to meet her who I love watching so much. She is such a hardworking player who is always aiming to win her matches.”

If Dheema Ali's Commonwealth Games performance is anything to go by she's emulating her 'hardworking idol' already.

At Birmingham 2022, Dheema Ali showed her fighting spirit in her first two matches beating Mauritius' Oumehani Hosenally 3-1 in a four setter – 11–5, 8–11, 8–11, 5–11 – before just missing out to Hosenally's compatriot Nandeshwaree Jalim in a marathon 11–6, 5–11, 9–11, 11–8, 15–13 showdown.

Two other matches followed that saw Dheema Ali go down in straight sets but not before revealing her combative mettle and the talent that saw her receive an IOC scholarship five months before.

Embracing table tennis at six years old

Born in Sri Lanka to Maldivian parents, Dheema Ali took up table tennis as a six-year-old, encouraged by her father.

“My father wanted me to do sport," she told ITTF. "He took me to a badminton coach who turned me down because I was too short to play the game. So, I decided to embrace table tennis because it was easy to organise as we can play it in my house."

Embrace table tennis she did and by April 2021, was ranked eighth in the World Table Tennis Junior Ranking’s U15 category.

Noticed by the IOC, Dheema Ali was selected as a Paris 2024 Olympic Scholarship holder, alongside four other Maldives athletes – Aishath Himna Hassan (athletics – sprinter), Nibal Ahmed (badminton), Ziyan Ziyau (shooting) and Ismail Rasheed (surfing).

The scholarship helps these athletes selected by the Maldives Olympic Committee, in their journey to prepare and qualify for the Paris 2024 Olympic Games with each athlete receiving a fixed monthly grant toward training including access to training facilities, specialised coaching services, medical and scientific assistance as well as travel costs for to participate in competitions like the Indian Ocean Island Games.

Indian Ocean Island Games 2023 – what is it?

The multi-games event, ratified by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) in 1976, takes place every four years.

Participants are Mauritius, Seychelles, Comoros, Madagascar, Mayotte, Réunion and Maldives who compete across multiple sports.

In the 11th edition, taking place in Madagascar, 17 sports are featured – athletics and para-athletics, badminton, basketball (5x5), boxing, cycling, football, weightlifting, handball, judo, karate, wrestling, swimming, petanque, rugby (7x7), tennis, table tennis, and volleyball.

The opportunity to compete in a second multi-sport event ahead of the dream scenario of competing at Paris 2024, is not lost on Dheema Ali.

“My dream is to make my country proud in the sport and continue to work hard to be able to make names for myself and family."

For the competition schedule for the 2023 Indian Ocean Island Games check here.