The Ist Women’s Challenge Cup Hockey Tournament is being held at the National Hockey Stadium in Lahore from December 30. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has allowed a group of enthusiastic former hockey players to organize the women’s hockey tournament in the private sector.
The tournament, which will be played on single league basis, is scheduled to continue till January 6, 2013 and expected to be participated by six leading women’s teams from all over the country including WAPDA, Railways, Punjab, Sindh and Army among others.
The group of former hockey players is spearheaded by Ms Saman Rashid who is the chief organizer of the forthcoming tournament. She has played for Pakistan Women Hockey Team, Lahore, Punjab, Railways and WAPDA for about ten years till 2010.
According to the information available from the organizing committee, the main objective for organizing the tournament is to promote national game of hockey, empowerment of women and encouraging young girls to take up hockey as their favourite game and show their talent at the national and international levels in due course of time after hard work, training and determination.
The organizing committee is confident that young girls from colleges and universities in the provincial metropolis would turn up daily at the National Hockey Stadium to watch the best women players of the country in action and to draw inspiration and learn lessons from them.
Chief organizer Saman Rashid is in Singapore presently on an assignment given to her by the Asian Hockey Federation on the recommendations of the Pakistan Hockey Federation. Prior to her leaving for Singapore for taking up the assignment, Saman Rashid had told couple of media people that she regards this assignment as a member of the AHF Jury as an honour for herself, the nation and the country and would try, while in Singapore, to come up to the expectations of all in a satisfying manner.
Saman Rashid is scheduled to return home on December 19 after which the tournament arrangements would be given final touches in all respects.