The 2017 Special Olympics World Winter Games concluded in Austria on Saturday, with the Pakistani athletes returning home with an impressive tally of 16 medals.
Over 3,000 Special Olympics athletes from 110 countries participated in the 2017 Winter Games.
The games ended with a colourful ceremony in the Austrian city of Graz on Saturday.
Pakistani athletes claimed three gold, seven silver and six bronze medals at the event.
The women’s snowshoeing team won gold in the relay race, covering the distance in a minute and 54 seconds. The men’s team won a silver medal in the same race.
Huzaifa Qazi claimed the gold in the 200-metre snowshoe race, whereas Muhammad Hamza Aslam won bronze in the men’s 200-metre race.
In addition, Farah Ahsan won a bronze medal in the 200-metre race.
Sabahat Tariq claimed the gold medal in the women’s 100-metre sprint, while Qazi and Pervaiz Ahmad took home silver in the men’s 100-metre sprint.
Fatima Amir and Muhammad Abdullah respectively won silver and copper medals in taekwondo.
The leader of the Pakistani delegation, Aneesur Rehman, told media that the athletes were returning to their country with pleasant memories.
He said the Winter World Games had given a new enthusiasm to the Pakistani special athletes.
Cricket franchise Peshawar Zalmi’s owner, Javed Afridi, announced a cash award for Pakistanis who won medals at the Special Olympics World Winter Games.
Afridi said in a tweet the Peshawar Zalmi Foundation will give away a prize of Rs100,000 to each Pakistani medallist.
I here by to announce Rs 1 Lakh each fr Pak Medalist of Sepcial Olympics World Winter Games from Peshawar Zalmi Foundation .#NationalHeroes
— Javed Afridi (@JAfridi10) March 25, 2017
Afridi, whose Zalmi franchise were last month crowned winners of the second edition of the Pakistan Super League, termed the medallists “national heroes”.
