Pakistan Greens beat Whites in exhibition match

Lahore: The first ever fully-furnished sport venue, the Johar Hockey Stadium having a capacity of nearly 1500 was inaugurated by Chief Minister Punjab Mian Shahbaz Sharif at Johar Town on Thursday.
To make the inauguration ceremony more colourful Pakistan’s international players and Olympians locked horns in an exhibition hockey match between Pakistan Whites and Greens. Mohammad Imran leading the Greens struck twice while Shakeel Abbasi hit in one goal to win the match.
Chief Organiser Punjab Youth Festival and Deputy Speaker Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan, Director General Sports and Youth Affairs Usman Anwar and chairman managing committee new hockey stadium Olympian Akhtar Rasool and around 13 Olympians were also present on the occasion
The venue is one of the 4500 grounds the Sports Board Punjab got vacated or cleaned during the Punjab Sports Festival late last year when dengue epidemic hit the province.
A large number of people including children of schools, hockey players and Olympians enjoyed the evening with the CM. The players welcomed the Chief Minister Punjab warmly and later Mian Shahbaz Sharif unveiled the inauguration plaque and before that the CM hit the ball with the hockey stick to formally declare the stadium open.
The Chief Minister Punjab appreciated the sincere efforts of DG Sports and Youth Affairs Usman Anwar and DG LDA Ahad for the establishment of the stadium which will pave the way as the foundation of the game in the country.
“It will set a solid base for the sports, the hockey players, hockey itself. This stadium will also help reviving hockey once again,” he maintained.
The chief minister also announced the revival of the hockey team in Punjab Police. “I taking the opportunity announce the establishment of Police hockey team. They will be given proper position in police and will also be paid handsomely.
He also appreciated and congratulated DG Sports and DG LDA for the establishment of such a great stadium in Lahore after a gap of 25 years.
Rana Mashood, Deputy Speaker Punjab Assembly, speaking on the occasion, said: “The organization of the Punjab Youth Festival and the establishment of the Johar Stadium is a success story that started from the Punjab Sports Festival late last year, which is a biggest historical achievement of the Punjab Government.”
“All the successive efforts of the Punjab Government were the vision of one person and that is Khadim-i-Aala who went on to work for the noble cause and did not left a single stone unturned in providing the people proper amenities of life,” he added.
Akhtar Rasool on his part thanked Chief Minister MIan Shahbaz Sharif on behalf of the hockey family for the stadium.
Rasool also thanked DG Sports and DG LDA for providing the hockey lovers a golden opportunity to revive hockey in the country.
Also present on the occasion were Rana Ikram Rabbani, Olympians Khalid Mehmood, Dr Tariq Aziz, Khawaja Zakauddin, Asad Malik, Qasim Khan, Manzoor Senior, Afzal Manna, Col Zafri, Tauqir Dar, Khalid Bashir, Malik Shafaqat, Mohammad Usman, Mohammad Ikhlaq and Manzoorul Hassan.