SBP lines up several more sports, GWR events for March

The Sports Board Punjab in the final phase of the Punjab Youth Festival is conducting a number of sports and Guinness World Record events and to add splendor to the already started spring festivity around prizes of Rs 50 million will also be distributed among the winners of the different levels of the festival in a closing ceremony.

Addressing a press conference here on Friday at the Conference Hall of the SBP, chief organizer and deputy speaker Rana Mashhood Ahmed Khan along with Director General SBP Usman Anwar gave the details of the coming events.

“As we are holding the press conference, the process of awarding the winners of the festival of other districts has started.

To keep all the accounts of the PYF clear, the SBP will also be signing an agreement with Transparency International to prove that the funds were spent in a transparent manner on this sports extravaganza.

“We are maintaining transparency in every matter as far as the organization and conclusion of the festival are concerned.”

It is going to a be a grand function (closing ceremony) which will set new benchmarks making it one of its most memorable closing ceremony in Pakistan,” said Rana Mashood.

In the 2013 Festival, the Sports Board has lined up several events for journalists, Bar Association, veteran cricketers and Balochistan cricket team. In the lead up to the hectic activity, SBP conducted last year, apart from the cricket, table tennis and badminton competitions, a road cycle race, marathon GWR events and the closing ceremony will be organized in the Punjab Youth Festival 2013, beginning from March 3.

“While all the preparation for the 10-day activity has been finalized and the youth are again given a platform to show their talent. We will start the Festival with Street Art that is to be held at different venues around the NashtarPark and other parts of the city,” he said. Rana Mashhood further said that journalists and members of the Bar Association will compete among themselves in cricket, badminton, hockey and table tennis while Balochistan and veterans cricket teams will play a match most probably at the Gaddafi Stadium followed by a match of parliamentarians and film stars.

“In between all the sports activity, we will be attempting several more Guinness World Records to show the world that Pakistan is a country of talent,” he added.

He said that the activity will continue till March 13 during this period of time road cycle race will be held at Ring Road while 17 kilometres marathon is to be conducted at the canal. “A three kilometres family fun race is also likely to be part of the marathon,” he added.

He said that the positive activity in the shape of Punjab Sports Festival 2011-12 and Punjab Youth Festival 2012 conducted by the Punjab government has started to show its impression. “It was the passion ignited by the Festival that the Pakistan hockey team won two back to back medals and the game of snooker also brought world title to the country in which Mohammad Asif of Punjab was the key performer,” he added.

“We not only focused the grass root level but also lifted the standard to such a level that Pakistan now holds several Guinness World Records,” he said.

Speaking on the occasion, DG Sports and Youth Affairs, Usman Anwar informed that after the holding of the street art, cricket matches, cycle race and marathon, the closing ceremony of the Punjab Youth Festival 2012 will also be held where prizes and certificates will be given to the winners of the different levels of the festival.