19/10/2026
Alhamdulillah! Manahil Merchant honoured at the World Federation’s WF50 Sports Awards 2026
We are delighted and proud to share that Manahil Merchant from our Melbourne community has been honoured in the Outstanding Sportsperson with a Disability category at the World Federation’s 50th Anniversary Sports Awards in London.
Manahil is 20 years old and lives with Down syndrome. She has loved ball games from a very young age and has wanted to play basketball since she was six or seven. She competes through Special Olympics, which caters to athletes with intellectual disabilities, and Unified sport brings athletes with and without intellectual disability together as teammates.
In December 2025, Manahil represented Australia in 3x3 Unified Basketball at the Special Olympics Unified 3x3 Basketball World Cup in San Juan, Puerto Rico. Since February 2025 she has also worked as a basketball coach with Eltham Wildcats Unified Basketball, teaching children aged 5 to 15 dribbling, shooting and lay-ups. Her sporting journey also includes the DOC Football Academy & All Abilities Hub, an international team tour to Singapore with the club in April 2025, and a special role as a Down Syndrome Umpire at the AFL’s Fiona McBurney Match in 2022. She is also an emerging table tennis player with her sights set on Special Olympics competition.
Beyond sport, Manahil volunteers with Helping Hands, is currently on a work placement at Tract Landscape Architecture, and continues her studies at Melbourne Polytechnic. She has said that sport has taught her teamwork, coping skills, and to be active, make friends and be determined.
Her story shows what is possible when young people with disability are given the opportunity, support and encouragement to take part, as athletes, as coaches and as role models. May it inspire all of us to think about how we can make our own community a place where every child and young person can take part.
Mubarak to Manahil and her parents, Sohail and Zeenat Merchant, and to the whole family.
A special thanks to Aasif Karim and the panel of jurors for recognising Manahil’s achievements. We are also deeply grateful to The World Federation of KSIMC The World Federation of KSIMC for supporting and caring for Manahil so warmly while she was with them in London, and to the WF50 Sports Awards team for this recognition. Thank you as well to Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club Eltham Wildcats Basketball Club eltham wildcats Eltham Wildcats Unified Basketball, DOC Football Academy & All Abilities Hub, Special Olympics Australia Special Olympics Australia and Helping Hands for supporting Manahil along the way.
See also Khoja Communities Australasia Khoja Communities Australasia post here: https://www.facebook.com/story.php?story_fbid=1664906469015094&id=100064872690647
