MYathalon 2009

Tentative Date: Jan 9 & 10, 2010 

           http://www.macmyathlon.com/ 

MAC Youth, is conveying a comprehensive understanding of Islam, believes in the importance of having a project focusing on athletic competition.

Sports have been and continue to be a timeless pastime for young people. The MYathlon competition is designed to promote Islamic concepts of sound mind, body and spirit, as well as encourage healthy competition. The MYathlon is a means to reach out to many young Canadians, by providing them with an outlet to play, compete, and showcase their athletic abilities. Also, this is a forum to teach them principles of teamwork and good sportsmanship. 

The MAC Youth Athletics competition, MYathalon, entails three components which will be explained in detail in the body of this proposal.  These components are: 

 1)  Team Sports Competition

2)  Individual Sports Competition

3)  Awards Ceremony/Presentation

The Divisions:

Youth can register for one of two divisions depending on their age:

• Juniors 14-16 years old
• Seniors 16-18 years old

Team Sports Competition

Description

Teams of a minimum of 8 players will register to compete in one or more team sports being offered in the MYathalon 2009 competition.  Individual Chapters will choose from the following list of team sports: 

1. Basketball
2. Volleyball
3. Soccer
4. Field Hockey

Please note that the Basket-ball and Volley-ball competitions are to be held indoors.  The Field Hockey and Soccer Competitions are to held indoors.

Competition Rules

Teams:

• Teams of a minimum of 8 players will enter the competition. 
• Teams will be encouraged to enter using a unique Team Name.
• Teams will be given team shirts, and will be asked to come up with a team cheer.  Both shirts and cheers must contain Islamically appropriate content. 
• All members of the team must be between the ages of 13-18 years inclusive. 
• Team members will be made up entirely of the same gender.  No co-ed teams will be permitted. 

The Game: 

• The team sports will be played according to the Official MYathalon Team Sports Rules.  These rules will be strictly adhered to by all individuals involved in the game, including the players, coaches, spectators and referees.  Rules will be available on the website, in the MYathalon Manual, and will also be given to each team upon registration.  Please see Appendix 1 for the official MYathalon Team Sports Rules to be used in MYathalon 2009 .  

Individual Sports Competitions

Description

Individual competitions will be held so as to give those who are not interested in team sports an opportunity to participate in the annual MYathalon competition. 

Individual Chapters can choose from the following list of individual sports:

1. Relay races
2. Sprints (ex. 100m, 200m, 500m, etc)
3. Hurdles
4. Long Jump
5. Javelin Throw
6. Other as applicable to individual Chapters (with given resources)

Competition Rules

Individuals/Teams: 

• All participants must be between the ages of 13-18 years inclusive
• Individuals can enter as many sports as they wish. 

The competition is open to all Canadian Muslim High School aged youth.  

Awards Ceremony

Description

At the end of the competition, Participants will be presented with awards for participation.  Competition winners for each sport will be given a MYathalon plaque or Trophy.  Alternatively, awards may be presented at the Chapters’ Annual Awards Night, if applicable.

Registration:

• All teams must register and pay before the deadline date, as specified by their Chapter.  Deadline dates will be published on the website.
• All teams must register through the central registration system via the website.  Instructions will be provided on the website. 
• All individuals whether entered in a team or individual sport must sign a waiver form. 
• Registration information, wavier forms, rules to the game and schedule are all provided on the website.
• Registration costs will vary depending on the Chapters’ budget. 

Other Logistics:

• Brothers and Sisters will play separate games in separate areas (i.e. brothers indoors while sisters outdoors and vice versa).
• Professional referees are hired to ref the games, female referees are used for the female side.
• The rules to the games are posted on the website, and are discussed before the games with refs.
• Points taken away for poor Islamic behavior or bad sportsmanship.
• Food and Drinks will be catered by local Muslim Restaurants at the Chapters expense or sold, depending on the Chapters’ budget.
• Chapters can look into sponsorship by sports companies (i.e. Gatorade, Sports stores, etc) as well as promote the event through the Media.