LAHORE: Pakistan’s tennis star Aisam-ul-Haq Qureshi was presented the Arthur Ashe Humanitarian of the Year Award 2010 on Friday at the Barclays ATP World Tour Finals.
The ceremony took place after the first singles match of the day and was telecast live on sports channels.
It was another feather in the already decorated cap of Aisam who is also the recipient of ‘Sitara-e-Imtiaz’ from the Pakistan Government.
The ATP Tour, the world governing body of men’s tennis, chose Aisam for the award for the second time. In 2002, Aisam won this award when he partnered an Israeli player and stated that politics and religion should not be mixed with the sport. Since last year, Aisam has been pairing regularly with India’s Rohan Bopanna.
They went on to reach US Open Men’s Doubles Final and finished the year as the No.8 team in the world. Together, the two of them have been spreading the message of peace through the medium of tennis. In view of their efforts, the Monaco-based ‘Peace and Sport’ organization awarded them the title ‘Champion for Peace’.