By Sohail Ali
LAHORE, Aug 16 (APP): Director General (DG) Sports Board Punjab (SBP) Adnan Arshad Aulakh said on Monday that the Sports Board would soon be organising a top-level Academies Hockey Championship for promotion of hockey among the young generation of the province.
He was speaking at an Independence Day male and female 5-a-side floodlight exhibition hockey event, organised at the International Gojra Hockey Stadium on Monday.
Director Sports Hafeez Bhatti, Assistant Commissioner Gojra Sumera Ambreen, District Sports Officer Toba Tek Singh Chaudhry Muhammad Jameel, coach Khawar Javed and other officials were also present on the occasion. Hockey coach Khawar Javed was the organising secretary at the event.
Adnan Arshad Aulakh also cut a cake to celebrate the Independence Day of the country in the presence of a large number of young male and female hockey players and officials.
Later, he distributed prizes among the top performers of the exhibition hockey matches.
The matches of Independence Day male and female 5-a-side floodlight hockey event were played between AC XI and DC XI. In the female match, AC XI defeated DC XI by 4-1 while AC XI outplayed DC XI by a huge margin of 5-2 in male hockey match.
He said the Academies Hockey Championship will play a key role in further popularising game of hockey in the far-flung areas of the province.
He announced that Sports Board Punjab would provide all necessary facilities at Gojra Hockey Stadium for the growth of Pakistan’s national game.
“We will provide all missing facilities to talented youth of Gojra besides installing a scoreboard at Gojra Hockey Stadium”.
The SBP DG said: “Gojra is blessed with immense hockey talent and Sports Board Punjab is making efforts to nurture this talent so that young players of Gojra can represent national hockey team in future and play their due role for revival of hockey in the country.”
