April 15, 2007	Sunday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 26, 1428

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KARACHI, April 14: The Army athletes are trained to win and that is what they proved yet again by winning the prestigious Quaid-i-Azam Trophy for the twenty third time – sixteenth in a row – as curtain fell on the 31st National Games at Lyari’s People’s Stadium on Saturday.

Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz specially flew in here from Islamabad to grace the auspicious occasion which drew over three thousand athletes assisted by a good number of officials from across the country.

He awarded the Quaid-i-Azam Trophy to Army while Wapda, runners up of the games, received Wajid Ali Shah trophy.

The flame which was lit on the opening day was extinguished to mark the end of the six-day spectacle.

The participating teams later presented a salute to the Prime Minister who announced the 31st National Games closed.

Also present on the occasion were Sindh Governor, Dr. Ishratul Ibad Khan, Chief Minister Dr. Arbab Ghulam Rahim, President POA, Lt. Gen Syed Arif Hassan and Chairman Organising Committee Qamar Mansoor.

The games were held in 27 disciplines for men and 16 for women besides some demonstration sports.

Four teams – Islamabad, Fata, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Northern Areas – made their debut in the games after being granted special participation rights by the PSB.

This was the seventh occasion when the games were organised in the metropolis since its inception in 1948 the other occasions being 1970, 1976, 1980, 1988 and 1997.

Meanwhile, Dawn failed to get the final medals table of the games despite visiting the Media Centre at evening hours while repeated attempts to contact members of POA tabulation committee, organising secretary, and a host of other officials on their cell phones went in vain.