REMARKS BY AMB (DR.) AMINA C. MOHAMED, EGH, CAV, CABINET SECRETARY FOR SPORTS, CULTURE AND HERITAGE DURING THE PRESENTATION OF AVTAR SINGH SOHAL OLY, OGW, HSC LIFETIME ACHIEVEMENTS, ON 1ST MARCH 2022, AT SIKH UNION CLUB, NAIROBI

SALUTATIONS

High Commissioner for Pakistan – Her Excellency Saqlain Syedah,

1^st Secretary of the Indian High Commission – Subhash Goyal,

Chairman of Sikh Union -Baljit Singh Virdi

Trustees of Sikh Union

Chairmen of various institutions present

1. I am honored to join you today, as we celebrate our hero and Olympian, Mr. Avtar Singh Sohal.
2. Tari, as he is also affectionately known, has given himself to the service of our nation, and has for most of his life, used sports as a platform to advance our values of equality and patriotism.
3. His discipline and self-sacrifice, has seen him achieve personal best records during his career and his passion for sports, has facilitated the development of the game of hockey in Kenya.
4. We continue to celebrate him as a friend, teammate and family man, and we are indebted to him, for his numerous contributions to the advancement of our sporting fraternity.
5. Tari’s achievements rest on the strong foundations that were established by past sporting legends such as Bakhtawar Singh, Mahan Singh Sandhu, Hakam Singh Brar and Balwant Singh Panesar.
6. They championed for an inclusive sporting environment, at a time when racism was rife in our local sporting sector. Their sense of nationhood, and their determination to see Kenya represented by its own at local and international championships, created opportunities for racial and ethnic minorities, to maximize their sporting potential and to contribute to nation building.
7. Accordingly, their legacies lives on in present legends such as Tari, in the same manner that Tari’s legacy, will live through the generations of the many hockey players that he has taken under his wings over the years.
8. I would also like to appreciate, the role that the Sikh Union club continues to play in the advancement of sports in Kenya, and in the development of our community.
9. The Sikh Union club has produced numerous Olympians and world cup players, and has put the country on the world map. Additionally, the Sikh community has distributed up to 350 tonnes of rations, to help feed the less fortune in our society.
10. Let me conclude by congratulating you once again Mr. Avtar Sohal. Thank you for courage and diligence, and thank you to all of you, for being part of today’s success.