National Junior Ranking Boys & Girls Badminton Championship begins

PESHAWAR, Aug 02 (APP):All Pakistan National Junior Ranking Badminton Championship got under way at Abbottabad Sports Complex under the aegis of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Badminton Association with the collaboration of Directorate of Sports KP, Regional Sports Officer, and District Administration Abbottabad.

Commissioner Hazara Division Syed Zaheer Ul Islam was the chief guest at the colourful opening ceremony and formally inaugurated the Championship by playing a over head smash. Deputy Commissioner Abbottabad Aamir Afaq, District Nazim Abbottabad Col. (Retd) Sardar Shabbir, Regional Sports Officer Syed Saqlain Shah, District Sports Waseem Afzal, KP Badminton Association Zafar Ali Shah, Secretary Haji Amjad Khan, Organizing Secretary Mian Sadaqat Shah, District Abbottabad Badminton Association President Ustad Zaman, officials, players and large number of spectators were also present.

Speaking on this occasion, Syed Zaheer Ul Islam termed holding of the Championship is a good omen for the people of Hazara Division and he thanked Pakistan Badminton Federation for granting the playing right to Hazara Division. It is for the first time Hazara is hosting National Junior Badminton and certainly it is a history making to be of the newly introduced National Junior Championship, Commissioner Hazara said. He said sports teachers us tolerance, brotherhood and above all discipline in an individual.

He said the develop countries supported their youth to be part of healthy sports activities and urged upon Pakistani youth to come and play their role.
He said Pakistan had rolled the world of sports and our talented youth achieved great name and fame for the country in games like hockey, squash, snooker, cricket, kabaddi, martial arts, badminton and table tennis etc.

He assured that the district govt is always ready to be part of such healthy activities and would extend every support to the organizers to come and hold their supporting activities in Hazara Division. He said as Commissioner Hazara, he loves to play badminton but being a former hockey player, he wants that the youth of Hazara Division should come forward and exhibit their hidden talent so that they could be able to achieve name and fame for the motherland. He also appreciated Director General Sports Asfandyar Khattak for extended all financial and moral support.

Nazim Abbottabad Col. Retd Sardar Shabir on this occasion disclosed that efforts have been taken to have a modern-day sports complex with facilities for all indoor and outdoor. The Complex would be completed next near as land has already been acquired, he added.

Zafar Ali Shah and Syed Saqlain Shah also spoke on this occasion and thanked the District Administration, Directorate General Sports KP, and District Govt for making the event a memorable wherein players from across Pakistan are taking part.

Syed Saqlain Shah said boys and girls players from across Pakistan including Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, Islamabad, Gilgit-Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, National Bank, Habib Bank, Pakistan Wapda are taking part in the Boys U-14 singles, Boys U-16 singles, Boys U-18 singles and Boys U-18 doubles, Girls U-16 singles, Girls U-18 singles and Girls U-18 doubles.

He said the Championship at one side would provide opportunities to the youth of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to learn good things while playing against top players of the country and on the other would give competitive exposures to the youth.

In the Under-14 Boys KP’s Zaman Gul beat Sindh Muzamil by 2-0, Muhammad Ikram of Sindh beat Waleed of KP. In the Under-16 Asad Afridi of KP beat Muhammad Rasool of Balochistan by 2-0, Faiz Ur Rehman of Sindh beat Fahad of Islamabad 2-0, in the Under-18 Zahid beat Tahir by 2-0, Shah Zaman of KP beat Shah Zain of Army by 2-0.