By Sohail Ali
LAHORE, Oct 26 (APP):The Lulusar Polo in Pink Tournament 2021 rolled into action here on Tuesday at the historical Lahore Polo Club ground with participation of international ladies team making it more colorful and interesting one.
In all, 11 teams are taking part in this prestigious tournament, which is the annual polo tournament of Lahore Polo Club, which has a long history of arranging events for social causes and this year, partnering with them is the famous online brand called Lulusar.
To raise awareness of breast cancer and to raise funds for a specialized breast cancer hospital in Lahore, the Pink Ribbon Pakistan are co-hosts of this prestigious event.
Speaking at the press briefing, President Lahore Polo Club, Mr. Umar Sadik said: “We have a very rich tradition of polo that dates back to centuries. Just like Lahore is the heart of Pakistan, Lahore Polo Club is the heart of polo in Pakistan. We are grateful to our title sponsors Lulusar and to our other sponsors namely SS Group and Happy Cow Cheese who have joined hands to make this event successful and to raise awareness of breast cancer in Pakistan.”
He added: “This event has grown in stature over the years and we have now gone global with this cause by associating this with the international pink ribbon campaign. This year, we have the unique pleasure of hosting 5 International lady polo players who have travelled from all over the world to show their support to this cause and to display their skills on the polo field. This is the first time that
an international ladies team of this caliber is visiting Pakistan and it is a great honor for our country, especially its sports that these players have made the effort to be here.”
Speaking on the occasion, Founder and CEO Pink Ribbon Omer Aftab said: “Polo in Pink event is a fun day out created to support breast cancer awareness in Pakistan. This is a wonderful initiative and we are confident that it will help Pink Ribbon extend its message to the masses”.
“Events like these go a long way in raising awareness towards such an important issue as it has a great impact on our society. The aim of this event is to disseminate information regarding breast cancer prevention, early detection and treatment to save more than 40,000 women dying from cancer every year,” added Omer Aftab.
Sharing his views, Azfar Hasan, CEO of Lulusar, said: “Lulusar is proud to be a part of the Pink Ribbon awareness campaign at the event on Sunday October 31st at the Lahore Polo Club. Lulusar is not just a brand, but a community for women to bring them together in support of their causes and to address
their concerns. The breast cancer awareness campaign is driven by the desire to save lives of many women by imparting knowledge about the risks, the signs, and the actions required to get treated.
We wish the organizers success in all their endeavors to bring good health to our families and community.”
Mr. Fawad Shah (COO) further elaborated that Lulusar is proud to present ‘Polo in Pink’, an event for
breast cancer awareness, organized in collaboration with Pink Ribbon and Lahore Polo Club. We would
like to extend our support to women from all walks of life, acknowledging and supporting the resilience
with which multiple women have battled with breast cancer. Lulusar is proud to be a community that
strives to empower the women of Pakistan. We hope that this event allows us to connect to our
community, and garner more support for the cause at hand.
After the press conference, three matches were played on the opening day. In the first match of the day,
Guard Group/Black routed Nagina Group by 8-5. Saqib Khan Khakwani was top scorer from the winning
side with a contribution of fantastic five goals while Taimur Ali Malik hammered a hat-trick. From the
losing side, Muhammad Ali Malik thrashed in three goals and Omar Ellahi Shaikh banged in a brace.
The second match of the day proved to be a thrilling encounter, where Habib Metro Lions defeated
Remington Pharma by 5-4. For Habib Metro Lions, Mumtaz Abbas Niazi played hero’s role and contributed
three goals while Raffay Sheikh and Abbas Mukhtar converted one goal apiece. From the losing side,
Bilal Noon banged in a brace and Taimur Noon and Agha Musa struck one goal each.
The third encounter of the day also proved to be a nail-biting one, where after a tough fight, Airlink Eagles succeeded in winning the match against ZS Polo by 7.5-7. Shah Shamyl Alam and Ahmed Bilal Riaz emerged
as top scorers from the winning side, which had one and a half goal handicap advantage while from the
losing side, Raja Arslan Najeeb fired in fabulous five goals and Lt Col Omer Minhas scored two goals.
