The British Council Karachi, in partnership with the British Deputy High Commission, organised a fun-filled event on Wednesday to mark the 365 days left to the 2012 Olympics being held in London.
Jahangir Khan, arguably the best squash player in the world, was the chief guest along with many other sports celebrities and Olympians from across Pakistan gracing the occasion.
It has been a remarkable journey since London won the bid to host the games in Singapore six years ago. The London Olympics bidding team had promised in their bid to ensure 20 million youth in schools are inspired towards sports and physical education as the legacy of the London 2012 Olympics.
This promise was one of the important factors for London to win the bid. Sports and physical education, in addition to being healthy, has the power to boost confidence in people as well as inculcate sportsmanship and team spirit.
To meet this promise, the UK Sports Board, London Olympics team and the British Council has initiated the International Inspiration programme that aspires to reach 20 million people in 20 countries around the world. Pakistan is the 17th country to join this programme in 2010.
The commitment of the London Olympics was clearly visible on the event as hundreds of boys and girls from different schools in Karachi took active part in the event. Mashhood Rizvi, director of the British Council Sindh and Balochistan, said on the occasion, “In today’s testing times, sports have become increasingly important to transcend cultural, ethnic and national boundaries. London 2012 has given us a chance to celebrate the best of sports and the human spirit the world over.”
Many interesting activities were designed to involve, engage and inspire the youth towards sports and physical education. The different areas where activities were taking place each reflected the London 2012 values of respect, excellence, inspiration, courage and friendship.
Francis Campbell, the British deputy high commissioner and director for trade and investment, Pakistan said, “Pakistan’s involvement in the British Council’s International Inspiration programme strengthens the UK-Pakistan long-standing ties through sports. The London 2012 Games is a unique opportunity to showcase Brand Britain throughout the world and to build a legacy of globally competitive and innovative businesses.”
There have been football tournaments between teams from different countries, sports quizzes, and stalls from different sports related organisations that provided information to students about different opportunities and sporting facilities. It was a strong platform for students who are interested in sports to get involved.
The historic sports stamp collection display from both UK and Pakistan was one of the highlights of the event.
Students took great interest in the collection as it provided them an accurate and interesting chronicle of the development of sports in UK and Pakistan. The collection was provided by Dr Muhammad Ali Shah, former Sindh sports minister.
Pakistan’s Special Olympics team, which had recent success in Athens, was also present and was acknowledged for their endeavours.
The festival ended in a grand way where various sports icons from Pakistan were recognised for their achievements and services to the nation. Tribute was paid to the upcoming sports talent and legends. And finally a digital countdown that officially marked 365 days to London 2012 was started by Jahangir Khan.
