CM arranges ceremony in the honor of Hockey Team on winning silver medal

Lahore: Punjab Chief Minister Mian Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif has assured the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) that the government would extend every possible support for the uplift of the national game in the country.

The Chief Minister gave this assurance during a very cordial meeting with the PHF President Chaudhry Akhtar Rasool, national players and team management at his Model Town office here on Tuesday. The Chief Minister had invited the national hockey team that won the silver medal in the recently concluded Asian Games in South Korea. Mian Shahbaz Sharif also ordered to provide free facilities to the PHF at the National Hockey Stadium for its smooth functioning. “National Hockey Stadium is meant for hockey activities and the PHF will use all the available facilities here free of cost”, he directed.

The Chief Minister said he would form a Committee to examine the problems faced by the PHF and submit its recommendations. “Hockey is our national game which has brought laurels for the country and we shall do our best for the development and the progress of this game amid recommendations of the Committee”, he resolved. The Chief Minister promised to raise the Police team at the national level and said that the Police rules would be amended to form such a team that would officially participate in the national tournaments organized by the PHF. He also said that sports quota in schools and college would be introduced to promote the game at the grassroots level.

Earlier, the PHF President Olympian Akhtar Rasool apprised the Chief Minister that a silver medal in the Asian Games was not a small achievement, particularly when the Federation was facing acute shortage of funds. He thanked the Chief Minister for his very sympathetic view towards the national game and hoped that his encouragement would help PHF to develop and promote the game at the grassroots level. “Worthy Chief Minister your government has already supported the PHF and we expect that you would continue to patronize the national game”, Akhtar Rasool said.

Later the Chief Minister delivered cheques of Rs. 200, 000 each to the players and the team management for their excellent performance in the Asian Games. Punjab Hockey Association President Pervaiz Bhandara, Olympian Arshad Chawdhry, PHF Associate Secretary Anjum Saeed, Secretary Sports and DG Sports were also present in the meeting.