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PM chairs opening ceremony of 15th Arab Sports Games.
On behalf of the President of the Republic, Abdelmadjid Tebboune, the Prime Minister, Aimene Benabderrahmane chaired the opening of the 15th Arab Sports Games organized by Algeria from on 5-15 July at Mohamed-Boudiaf Olympic Complex in Algiers, with the participation of nearly 2,000 athletes representing 22 Arab countries.
The opening ceremony of the 15th Arab Sports Games hosted by Algeria (July 5-15) started Wednesday in the Mohamed Boudiaf Olympic Complex in Algiers, in the presence of Prime Minister Aymen Benabderrahmane, members of government and guests from various countries and organizations.
While winning an Olympic medal is a personal goal for thousands of athletes, for 24 nations it is a dream that has only ever come true once. Tokyo2020.org looks at the glorious moment and the impact it had on the lives of the athletes who achieved it.
The background
Sudan made its Olympic debut at Rome 1960 and since then the country has participated in most of the Olympic Games.
Despite its nearly 50 years of participation in the Olympics, Sudan’s first medal on the world’s greatest sporting stage didn’t come until Beijing 2008, when Ismail Ahmed Ismail won silver in the men’s 800m.
Born in a Darfur farming tribe, Ismail was introduced to athletics at school. Surprisingly, instead of 800m, he started as a 3,000m runner and participated in 1,500m races as well. After watching his performance in long-distance races, the then national athletics coach Omer Khalifa advised him to move down to 800m. So he did and went to win the National Junior Championships.
In 2002, Ismail participated in the World Junior Championships in Kingston, Jamaica and finished fifth in a time of 1:47.20. Two years later, he had his first Olympic experience at Athens 2004, where he made to the 800m final after a personal best in the semi-final. But he would go on to finish last in the final.
In an interview with IAAF in 2008, Ismail explained that he was not optimistic at the prospect of winning at the Games and was exhausted in the final.
“I just wanted to do my best,” he said.
History in the making Al though Ismail continued improving his performance in 800m, since Athens he had been troubled by injuries and only took part in a few races throughout 2007. But he did not allow this setback to seize his dreams on the track.
“I knew I was going to come back. My coach (Jama Aden) was the one talking to me. I ran in the African Championships (2008, in Addis) and I was 2nd. I know I can do it again,” he said in the IAAF interview.
Somali-born Jama Aden is an Olympian himself and had coached Abdi Bile to a world title in 1987. He saw great potential in Sudanese runners like Ismail.
Aden’s confidence became a driving force behind the athletes, who trained on a land troubled by conflicts and poverty. According to a report by The Christian Science Monitor back in 2008, Ismail and his teammates had to use old paint cans filled with concrete for weight training and would run at the track at the never-completed athletics stadium surrounded by rubble. They also had to finish training before sunset as there were no floodlights.
Thanks to a rebound in early 2008, Ismail made it to Beijing 2008 together with another home favourite Abubaker Kaki, who ran a world junior 800m record of 1:42.79 at the Oslo Bislett Games in June 2008.
But a small injury stopped Kaki in the 800m semi-final in Beijing with Ismail making the final. This time, he did not let the chance go.
Placed at lane eight, Ismail had a relatively slow start but then he sped up on the second lap to pass reigning world champion Alfred Yego of Kenya. He kept the momentum until the finish line to finish behind Wilfred Bungei of Kenya. Clocking 1:44.70, he won Sudan’s long-awaited Olympic medal, a silver.
Life-changing impact
Ismail’s historic win in Beijing has another huge significance on the world outside sport. His success came in a time when Sudan was facing an unprecedented political crisis. To him and his teammate, Beijing was a chance to show people the positive side of Sudan.
After securing the country’s first Olympic medal, according to AP, people in Sudan hailed Ismail as a national hero and the picture of him wrapped in a Sudanese flag landed him on the front pages of the country’s newspapers.
Quoted by the Sudan Media Centre, Ismail said, “I can’t find words to express my joy. This is an achievement for my country first and then for me. I was able to achieve this honour because of a lot of hard training.”
With his achievement at the Beijing 2008 Games saw Ismail became the flagbearer at the Opening Ceremony of London 2012. However, in London he failed to make the 800m final.
At Rio 2016, no Sudanese athlete participated in the men’s 800m.
Scrolling through Sudan’s Olympic record, one could easily notice that athletics has been their major field of competition. Among the 81 Olympic participants, 33 of them are in athletics, followed by 17 in boxing. With Ismail’s historic breakthrough, there is a fair reason to expect Sudanese athletes to mark another milestone in the future.
The Atlas Lionesses wrote a page in the history of Women’s football as they became the first Arab nation to play a Women’s Africa Cup of Nations final.
Morocco’s Women National Football (MWNF) team has been making headlines as their popularity has grown since last year’s Wafcon (Women’s Africa Cup of Nations) final, in July 2022.
Hosted by Morocco, the Wafcon tournament marked the rise of the Atlas Lionesses as they became the first Arab nation to play a final for this tournament, when they faced off against South Africa.
As they prepare for this year’s 2023 World Cup in Australia and New Zealand, it is worthwhile to look back on the MWNF team’s great accomplishment last year and what it means for the rest of the world.
The Atlas Lionesses’ Eye-Catching Adventure At Wafcon 2022
With Football having been traditionally viewed as a men’s game in the region, the MWNF team captured the hearts and imagination of girls and women from the Arab region as they achieved a milestone at the 2022 Wafcon.
Although South Africa ended up winning the title, the Atlas Lionesses gained recognition for their impressive skills and outstanding performances, securing the 7th rank in Africa and the 72nd place in the FIFA global ranking.
Before reaching the final, the MWNF team had beaten Botswana and Nigeria in two spectacular football matches, allowing them to secure a ticket to participate in the 2023 Women’s World Cup, which will take place in Australia and New Zealand.
Impressing many football personalities, the team’s remarkable performance also saw the rise of a number of star players in the team as Ghizlane Chebbak, Fatima Tagnaout, and Zineb Redouani were listed among the “best eleven” by the Confederation of African Football (CAF).
In addition to that, Morocco’s captain Chebbak was named the best player of the 2022 Wafcon and received the “Woman of the Tournament” award following the match against South Africa.
Commenting on the Atlas Lionesses’ performance at last year’s Wafcon, MWNF coach Reynald Pedros expressed his eagerness to reach new heights with his team: “We will continue to work. This is just the beginning of a new adventure.”
Recognition by international media
Various local and regional news outlets put the spotlight on the MWNF team’s achievements, acknowledging their contribution to Morocco’s football development, alongside the Atlas Lions’ incredible performance at the last men’s World Cup.
For instance, International football’s governing body FIFA described the year of 2022 as “Morocco’s miracle year of continental and international success” and emphasized the women’s team’s role in paving the way for Moroccan football to become a leading global symbol.
For Africa News, women’s football may be at a turning point as its popularity is growing exponentially, proven by the attendance record of the final Wafcon match which counted around 50,000 supporters at the Prince Moulay-Abdellah Stadium in Rabat. The article also acknowledged Morocco as “the first North African country to host the Women’s Africa Cup of Nations in the 24-year history of the continental competition.”
Earlier this week, the Atlas Lionesses headed to Australia ahead of the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup as the only representative of the Middle East and North Africa region in this prestigious global tournament.
Morocco wins the Arab Futsal Cup for the third consecutive year, cementing their status as a force to be reckoned with in the world of futsal.
Morocco’s national futsal team achieved a remarkable 7-1 victory over Kuwait in the final of the 2023 Arab Futsal Cup, securing their third consecutive championship title.
Led by coach Hicham Dguig, the team made history as the most successful in the tournament’s record books.
Before the clash at the Ministry of Sports Hall in Jeddah, Kuwait faced off against Algeria, emerging victorious with a hard-fought 3-2 win, which propelled them into the finals.
They also faced off against Egypt in the quarter-finals, clinching a 6-2 victory.
The Moroccan team exhibited a remarkable performance throughout the tournament, overwhelming their opponents with a series of commanding victories. Their journey started with a 5-0 triumph over Comoros, followed by a 6-0 win against Lebanon.
In the knockout stages, the Atlas Lions continued their relentless pursuit of victory. They faced Saudi Arabia in the quarter-finals, delivering a 5-2 win, and then went on to conquer Libya with an impressive 5-1 victory in the semi-finals.
Moroccan coach Hicham Dguig’s squad members previously defeated Kuwait 4-2 in the group stage, entering the game with confidence and a clear understanding of their opponents’ strengths and weaknesses.
Morocco’s national futsal team is currently ranked 8th globally and leading the Arab world and Africa in the Futsal World Ranking (FWR).
Meanwhile, Kuwait is ranked the third highest-ranked Arab nation and ranked 41st globally.
With their awe-inspiring performance in the final, the Moroccan national futsal team has undoubtedly etched their names in the annals of Arab futsal history.
This remarkable achievement will not only be celebrated by the team and their fans, but will also inspire future generations of Moroccan futsal players to strive for greatness on both regional and international stages.
The managerial ability of Pep Guardiola was backed by Sheikh Mansour’s long-term project as City won a historic treble.
When Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Court, bought Manchester City in 2008, the club was languishing in the mid-table of the English Premier League.
It had just finished the previous season in ninth position, 32 points behind Manchester United, the champion of England and its famously successful city rival.
United then was brimming with world-class talent.
A team featuring Cristiano Ronaldo, Wayne Rooney, Carlos Tevez, Ryan Giggs, Paul Scholes, Rio Ferdinand, Patrice Evra, Nemanja Vidic and Edwin van der Sar, United had also won the Champions League in 2008.
It was Sir Alex Ferguson’s second European triumph with United as manager following the famous treble-winning season in 1999.
So it was a couple of months after United enjoyed one of its greatest seasons that Sheikh Mansour made his foray into English football with a club that was never able to sit alongside the elites in the sport.
But the visionary UAE leader went on to change the footballing landscape in such a way that City is now football’s ultimate aristocrat.
So how did City, who completed a historic treble by winning the Premier League, FA Cup and the Champions League this season, become the most dominant team after Sheikh Mansour took over the club?
Long-term goal
Brazilian star Robinho joined Man City from Real Madrid in 2008. — Twitter
City did not become successful overnight despite the takeover from Sheikh Mansour in 2008.
It made a slow and steady progress and one that was backed by Sheikh Mansour in every step.
In the first season after the takeover, City could only finish 10th in the league despite acquiring a big-name player from Real Madrid, Robinho, the Brazilian superstar.
But City made gradual improvement and next season in 2010, the team became stronger after the arrival of Emmanuel Adebayor, Carlos Tevez and Kolo Toure.
Chelsea, United, Arsenal and Tottenham were the top four teams that season as City finished fifth, narrowly missing out on a place in the Champions League.
FA Cup triumph
The next season in 2011, City finally ended its trophy drought. A Carlos Tevez-inspired City won the FA Cup that season with a 1-0 win over Stoke City in the final – it was the team’s first major triumph since 1976.
City had reached the final with victory over United in the semifinal, the club’s first success in a knockout game against the bitter rival since 1975.
City then went on to finish third in the league, qualifying directly for the Champions League in what was another landmark for the club.
Premier League ecstasy
After breaking into the top-three of the Premier League, City turned on the style in England.
Sergio Aguero had just joined City from Atletico Madrid and the Argentina star made an instant impact.
City thrashed Tottenham 5-1 and humiliated United 6-1, signalling its arrival on the big stage as the big contender for the title.
The battle for the league title, though, was not easy with United bouncing back only to fall again.
It went to the last day with City needing a win against the Queens Park Rangers to pip United for the title.
But City was trailing 2-1 until the 91st minute in the dramatic last game of the season.
The Blues though scored an equalizer in the 92nd minute before Aguero found the winner in the last minute of injury time with a moment of magic, sparking wild celebrations on the field and in the stands.
It was City’s first league title in 44 years and it was the start of a golden era for the club.
Guardiola arrives
City had added one more Premier League title in 2014. Two years later, the club hired Pep Guardiola, who famously led Lionel Messi’s Barcelona to glorious triumphs during his four-year stint as manager of the Catalan club.
Guardiola arrived in City after a two-year spell at Bayern Munich.
A man famous for building teams that play eye-catching football, Guardiola was entrusted with the responsibility of making City a serial winner as well as an aesthetically pleasing team.
The Spanish coach imposed his style on the team and it won the league in 2017-2018 by collecting the highest points for a season.
City retained the Premier League title next season, its first successful defence of the title in history.
With world-class players in the team, City was producing mesmeric football as it also won two more league titles in 2021 and 2022.
But the biggest dream — the Champions League title — remained unfulfilled after defeat to Chelsea in the 2021 All-England final.
Historic treble
Sheikh Mansour’s Manchester City was finally rewarded in Europe for its perseverance.
City produced another masterclass in beautiful and brilliant football as Guardiola’s team won its third straight Premier League title, overcoming a spirited challenge from Arsenal.
The club then beat city rival United in the final to win the FA Cup.
And once it outplayed Real Madrid, the most dominant team in the history of European football, in the Champions League semifinal, City became the overwhelming favourite in the final against Inter Milan.
The Italians put up a big fight in the Istanbul final, but the superior quality of City made the difference as Rodri’s sumptuous goal separated the victor from the vanquished.
City’s wait to be European champion was finally over as it also became the first team since Manchester United to complete the treble.
It has taken the team 15 years since the takeover from Sheikh Mansour to scale the highest peak.
The long-term vision of Sheikh Mansour helped City become the king of European football.
The club has won seven Premier League, three FA Cup, six League Cup and the 2023 Champions League title in these 15 trophy-laden years under Sheikh Mansour’s leadership.
“One of the main reasons why this club became what we are is because of the people from Abu Dhabi, Sheikh Mansour, took over the club,” Guardiola said. “Without that, we would not be here.”
The biggest tribute City can pay to Sheikh Mansour now is by becoming the first team since Real Madrid to defend the Champions League title.
Sheikh Mansour bin Zayed Al Nahyan, UAE Vice President, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Presidential Court, attends the Champions League final. — Reuters
Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation (QMMF) President Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai has hailed the continuous successes achieved by Qatari champion Nasser Al Attiyah at the global stage, the latest of which was his Dakar Rally 2023 title victory for a second time in a row and the fifth overall.
Al Mannai said that Al Attiyah winning the Dakar Rally title is a great achievement for Qatar motorsports and sports in general, especially since this is his fifth victory at the tough international event following his earlier wins in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2022.
Al Mannai explained that such achievements are not strange for the champion driver who has been winning titles and bringing victories to Qatari sports and motorsports in particular, noting that he is used to ascending the podiums in all forums, which makes him the most prominent Qatari sportsperson in the recent years.
Al Mannai stressed that Al Attiyah has become a key figure in the world of desert rallies whether at the global level or in the Middle East, considering that his successive achievements are a great incentive for all Qatari drivers to follow the same path and achieve titles and championships.
The QMMF president congratulated Al Attiyah on this great achievement, which serves as a motivation for him to continue victories this season in various competitions, wishing him success and continuing the same professional approach that he follows in managing his team and its participation in various international tournaments.
Al Mannai also noted that Al Attiyah’s victory this year was due to the strong strategy he followed, as he pressed in the early stages and led the rally by a comfortable margin and then fought the rest of the stages with the aim of maintaining the lead and not taking risks.
Al Mannai also stressed that Al Attiyah is a role model for all Qatari youth, not only for those in motorsports but for all sportpersons, which raises the ceiling of ambitions to achieve many achievements and raise the name of Qatar high at all international forums.
It is noteworthy that Al Attiyah first participated in the Dakar Rally in 2004, and during his presence in twenty editions he was able to win the title five times in 2011, 2015, 2019 and 2022, and occupied the runner-up position on five occassions in 2010, 2016, 2018, 2020 and 2021.
Toyota Gazoo Racing’s Qatari driver Nasser Saleh Al Attiyah celebrates with co-driver Mathieu Baumel of France, Qatar Motor and Motorcycle Federation President Abdulrahman bin Abdullatif Al Mannai and officials after winning his fifth Dakar Rally title in Saudi Arabia, on Sunday. PIC: RED BULL
Egyptian duo Nour El Sherbini and Ali Farag retained their respective world titles in Chicago with straight-game wins over Nouran Gohar and Karim Abdel-Gawad early on Friday.
World No.1 Sherbini needed 38 minutes to beat Nouran Gohar 3-0 (11-6, 11-4, 12-10) and clinch her seventh World Championship title.
“I am over the moon to win my seventh World Championship,” El Sherbini was quoted as saying on PSA World Tour after the game.
The 27-year-old El Sherbini was in superb form in Chicago, winning her third World Championship title. She is now just one short of the current women’s record of eight, held by Malaysian legend Nicol David.
Her streak of five women’s World Championship titles in a row is matched only by David.
“It is huge and special for me and I cannot believe I did it, I am so happy,” the Egyptian squash star said.
I am happy that I am closer to Nicol’s [David] record. She is a legend and what she did was amazing and unbelievable,” El-Sherbini said, adding “I have always been looking up to her, so to put my name beside her is something special and huge for me.”
The men’s final saw World No.4 Ali Farag become the second Egyptian ever after Amr Shabana to win four men’s World Championship trophies.
The 31-year-old Farag needed 44 minutes to beat Karim Abdel Gawad 3-0 (12-10, 11-6, 11-6).
“The emotions are so raw, it is so hard to put it into words,” Farag said. “It is so special. No matter how many times you go through it, it is even more special than the time before. Especially against such a champion like Karim, I am super relieved and super happy,” he added.
“Two months ago, we played a practice match and we were limping, and the standard would not have even earned us a place in the World Championship, let alone the final. To come all the way through to reach the final is a very proud achievement for the two of us.”
Farag – like El Sherbini before him – has now won all three World Championships held in Chicago.
The PSA World Championships is the most prestigious tournament in squash, with $1,000,000 in total player compensation split equally between the male and female athletes.
Shehab Allam, a swimmer and coach from Dubai, has broken the Guiness World Record for the longest swim wearing handcuffs by swimming over 11km (6.8 miles) continuously with the cuffs on.
With his swim, Allam broke the record previously held by American Ben Katzman, who set the old record by swimming 8.6km (5.3 miles) in a Virginia swimming pool in February 2022.
Notably, the 31 year-old Allam did not opt to complete his swim in a pool, instead using a marked area of approximately 164 yards in the Arabian Gulf, swimming laps between two buoys. During his attempt, he had an official with him to ensure his recorded distance was accurate.
According to Allam, he hit the 50 lap mark, surpassing the previous record, and made it his goal to hit 70 laps to surpass 11km. He told The National, “At 50 laps I realized I had gone past the record, so kept going. I hit the 10km mark and then felt good so kept on swimming until I had done 70 laps — so it was more than 11km in the end.”
“It feels amazing to be a Guinness Record holder, this is my biggest achievement — and was a longer swim than the Dubai Canal,” said Allam.
This was not Allam’s first attempt at a record-breaking swim, as he previously became the first person to ever swim the length of the 25km Dubai Canal back in 2020.
Of both of his swims, Allam said, “Being In the record books makes me feel like a superhero, and I want to stay there.” He plans to take an attempt at breaking the World Record for the furthest swim in handcuffs and leg chains next, which is currently held by Dolphin Ratheesh, who swam 10km wearing both devices back in November 2020.
The Moroccan footballer’s value on the transfer market is estimated at € 32 million.
Moroccan professional football player Nayef Aguerd has been featured in a new documentary that explores his inspiring journey from playing in the streets of Kenitra to joining Premier League team West Ham as a center-back.
The documentary, titled “Premier League Stories – Nayef Aguerd,” follows the Moroccan defender’s journey from playing for the Moroccan club FUS Rabat, Dijon, and Rennes in France, to joining West Ham United in the English Premier League.
One of the documentaries’ outstanding, particularly emotional scenes shows how Aguerd suffered a serious ankle injury that nearly halted his first season in England’s top league.
Speaking about the footballer‘s inspirational story, French football journalist Julien Laurens said, “I think Aguerd’s story is incredible. He is a symbol of a Moroccan kid who played in Morocco and who was born there and still made his way all the way up to the best league in the world.”
The journalist enthused: “For the kids in Morocco, Aguerd is this Hollywood story.”
Born in Kenitra, Aguerd started his career at the Mohammed VI Football Academy in Sale, a city near Rabat. He landed his first professional contract with Fath Union Sport, also called FUS Rabat, in 2014.
Aguerd spent four seasons with FUS Rabat before joining Dijon in the French Ligue 1. In 2020, he joined Rennes FC, another Ligue 1 club. After to years of brilliant displays during which he established himself as an undroppable and reliable defender at the heart of of Rennes’ defense, the Moroccan footballer signed a five-year contract with England’s West Ham United in July 2022
At a pivotal time in his professional life, the sought-after defender underwent ankle surgery after injuring his ankle in a preseason friendly against Rangers in 2022.
“The two weeks after the surgery, it was difficult to move, so I was in the hotel, taking a lot of pain killers,” Aguerd is seen explaining in the documentary.
Aguerd, whose current value on the transfer market is estimated at € 32 million, pointed out his much-reported, high-value transfer to the Premier League put a lot of pressure on him as he felt the need to prove himself. “When you come with a transfer value like mine, you want to show that you deserve it,” the player said.
Prior to playing for the Moroccan national team, Argued stated that it was his childhood dream to represent his country in the world’s most important competition.
Little wonder then that, in the documentary, the sought-after defender was ecstatic when recalling his country’s historic World Cup journey. “I will never forget this tournament,” he said of the Moroccan Atlas Lions’ heroics in Qatar.
Mariam Saleh Binladen took just four hours to make the crossing from the Saudi island of Tiran to the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
A Saudi dentist and endurance swimmer has set a new women’s world record time for swimming across the Red Sea.
Mariam Saleh Binladen took just four hours to make the crossing from the Saudi island of Tiran to the Egyptian resort of Sharm El-Sheikh.
She was accompanied in the water on her 9-kilometer swim by Lewis Pugh, a British South African endurance swimmer and UN patron of the oceans.
Pugh was on the first leg of his campaign to raise awareness about the destruction of oceans and coral reefs in the run up to the 2022 UN Climate Change Conference (COP27) due to take place in Sharm El-Sheikh next month.
Binladen told Arab News: “During the final moments of the swim, I felt elated, a sense of jubilation, and blessed to have achieved my goal with my body intact.
“I had concerns before embarking on the swim, namely the weather conditions and sharks. As the last moments approached, I thanked Allah that the team had made it safe and sound through what were quite hazardous conditions.”
Due to high winds and rough seas the swim had to be staggered over two days.
She said: “We completed the swim in two segments and fed less often to minimize the risk of shark attacks. I would say that the most challenging aspect was at the midway point when the sea became very turbulent.
“We had also agreed to swim without protective cages, so those sharks were always at the back of our minds.”
Binladen has been involved in open water endurance swimming professionally since 2012.
“I train hard at least three times a week. Over my weekends, I alternate between four to six hours of swims to maintain momentum. I maintain a dedicated fitness regime, and I keep to a physically gruelling schedule when I am preparing for a challenge,” she added.
Her first major world record-breaking swim was in London’s River Thames in 2016, but she pointed out that the Red Sea attempt was for a greater cause.
“I agreed to join this challenge as the cause is near to my heart. These challenges are not for the faint of heart; you really need to be disciplined with your training and build up your physical and mental strength. Those two things are what will keep you going and be the key to success,” she said.
Long-distance swimming, she noted, was physically and mentally challenging and it was only with the support of a sports counsellor and her family that she was able to prepare herself.
“We sift through any fears and concerns together. I cannot stress enough how important it is to always work with professionals and to surround yourself with the right people.
“I’m blessed to also have the support and reassurance of a loving family without whom I could never have embarked on this journey,” she added.
Binladen’s charitable work has included offering support to refugees.
She said: “I am primed and physically and mentally prepared to take on my next challenge.
“In terms of the future, I will continue to use my challenges to raise awareness of issues that concern me, my philanthropic work is ongoing, and I have my career, and I am very busy.”
She now has five world records to her name, including being the first Arab to complete the Dardanelles Strait open water race in Turkey from Asia to Europe, in August 2015, completing the 6.5-km distance in one hour, 27 minutes, and 26 seconds.
In September 2016, she became the first Saudi to complete an assisted swim across the English Channel of 39.7 km, a feat she did in 11 hours and 41 minutes.
And she was also the first swimmer to cross the Dubai Creek and Dubai Water Canal, clocking up a total distance of 24 km in nine hours and 10 minutes.
source/content: arabnews.com (headline edited)
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Saudi dentist and endurance swimmer Maryam Saleh Binladen. (Supplied)
