Government of Maldives honors Suresh Raina with the Sports Icon award

Former India cricketer Suresh Raina was felicitated with the prestigious 'Sports Icon' award at the Maldives Sports Awards 2022 by the Maldives government. He was nominated alongside 16 international sportspersons, including former Real Madrid player Roberto Carlos, Jamaican Sprinter Asafa Powell, former Sri Lankan captain and cricketer Sanath Jayasuriya, and Dutch football legend Edgar Davids.

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The 35-year old was presented with the award for his various achievements throughout his career. He was presented with the award in presence of Md. Zahir Ahsan Russel, the Minister of Youth and Sports of Bangladesh. Meanwhile, also Al-Kadi Badr Abdul Rahman, the Vice Minister of Sports of Saudi Arabia; Ahmed Nazeer, the Honorary President of the Maldives Tennis Association were presented at the ceremony.

Suresh Raina was part of the Indian team which won the 2011 Cricket World Cup. He has also won the Indian Premier League (IPL) trophy four times with the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) franchise. Meanwhile, he was the first Indian player to score 6000 as well as 8000 runs in a T20 career and the first-ever cricketer to reach 5,000 runs in IPL. He also holds the record for scoring the most fifties in the Champions League T20 history.

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The event was chaired by the President of Maldives, Ibrahim Mohamed Solih, Sports Ministers, world-renowned athletes, and Maldivian athletes.

According to a release, the Maldives Sports Awards 2022 was held late evening on March 17 at the Synthetic Running Track in Male. Moreover, It was followed up by a music show the next night. Many talented bands and musicians include local favorites as well guest singers from India.