The Maldives Olympic Committee (MOC) has announced new scholarship opportunities for Maldivian athletes, including support from the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and Bank of Maldives.

The selected athletes were officially announced at the MOC’s Annual General Meeting held Wednesday night. Speaking at a press conference, MOC Secretary General Thamooh Ahmed Saeed said six athletes from six different sports were chosen for the IOC scholarship.

The recipients are table tennis player Fathimath Dheema Ali, athlete Adam Riffath, shooter Mariyam Eeshal Misbah, surfer Mohamed Inaan Abdul Hannan, badminton player Fathimath Nabaha Abdul Razzaq and swimmer Ifzal Ibrahim Mahfooz.

The IOC scholarship runs for four years through the 2028 Los Angeles Olympic Games and provides each athlete with USD 1,500 per month for training at high-performance centers. Some athletes have already begun training abroad, while others are in discussions with overseas centers.

In addition, the Bank of Maldives (BML) Scholarship, awarded for one year, was presented to a surfing athlete this year. Thamooh said the MOC is responsible for selecting recipients and is exploring ways to sustain the program, noting positive feedback so far.