SBP issue the schedule of training camps of upcoming Punjab International Sports Festival

Lahore: The Sports Board Punjab (SBP) has issued the schedule of training camps of upcoming Punjab International Sports Festival on Monday. In this regard, a top level meeting was held at National Hockey Stadium under the chairmanship of Director General Sports Punjab Usman Anwar.

The Punjab International Sports Festival will begin from May 20, 2015 at various cities of Punjab. Around 2000 athletes from over 40 countries will feature in the grand event.

The security and other arrangements of dozens of foreign teams and the playing conditions at various sports venues were reviewed during the meeting.

Addressing the meeting, DG SBP Usman Anwar advised the concerned officials to provide top class facilities to foreign teams during their stay in Pakistan. “Athletes from over 40 countries are visiting Pakistan which is a remarkable honour for the country. With the arrival of foreign teams, a new era will start in the history of Pakistan,” he added.

The meeting was told that the PISF training camp will be organized from April 30 to May 18 in Lahore. Around 400 athletes of 21 games including men & women hockey (40 each), kabaddi (32 each), mat wrestling (20), handball (30), cricket women (40), weightlifting men (18) and women (14), blind cricket (32), futsal (20), pentathlon (30), judo men and women (18 each), fistball (30), physical handicap (30), karate men and women (20 each) and baseball (31) will get their training at the camp.

Punjab Minister for Sports Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan has said that sports activities are compulsory for a peaceful society. Luring the youth towards sports and healthy activities has been top priority of Punjab government; he expressed these views while addressing the large gathering of a local soft drink company at Punjab Football Stadium on Sunday night. Director General Sports Punjab Usman Anwar was also present on this occasion.

Rana Mashud told the audience that Punjab govt has provided suitable platform to Pakistan youth to express their abilities and our potential youngsters have availed that opportunity with both hands and registered several world class feats in recent past. “The marvelous work rendered by the Sports Board Punjab during the last three years is on record. There is no such example in the past,” he added.

Director General Sports Punjab Usman Anwar, in his address, said that the talented youth was the actual asset of the country. “Our youth can play a vital role in the development of the country”. DG SBP asked the youth of the country to focus on modern sports. “It’s an era of modern sports in which technology has a big role to play. Our young sportsmen are equipped with great amount of talent and I’m quite hopeful of their success in such sporting activities,” DG SBP stated.