Around 100 top-raking players, including some Indians, will be in Lahore in the coming week to participate in the International Tennis Federation (ITF) championship at Punjab Lawn Tennis Association courts in Baghi Jinnah. The Indian players will reach Lahore via Wagah border on Sunday (today).

Rashid Malik, the PLTA secretary and a former Davis Cupper, says 10 of the 12 Indian players have already got Pakistani visa and their participation will make the competition tough and colourful.

Although no entry has been received from Sri Lanka and Bangladesh, the participation of Indian players is a good omen under the current situation, he says.

Mr Malik says it will definitely bring closer the people of two neighbouring countries.

He says the Punjab Sports Board has been requested to make foolproof security arrangements for the Indian players.

He says Aqeel Khan and other Pakistani players are ready for the tough competition.

An ITF event provides an opportunity to local players to raise their international ranking in case the response from foreign players remains poor.

Separate competitions in different age groups, including U-45 and U-55, will also be organized. A ceremony for draws is being held on Sunday (today) and the main round will kick-off from Monday (tomorrow).

The PLTA is also the host of the Davis Cup Asia Oceania tie against China which is scheduled in March next year. However, the ITF has not cleared Pakistan as venue because of security threat. The PLTA still hopes that being a most friendly country, the Chinese government will be ready to send its team to Pakistan.

Lahore is also the venue for a big golfing activity of the 32nd edition of the Governors Cup Championships which is in progress and will conclude at the Lahore Gymkhana on Sunday (today). Millat Tractor has been sponsoring the event for the last 22 years.

A good number of 199 golfers from across the country are in Lahore to participate in different events like men’s amateur, seniors, veterans and ladies.

Few talented golfers taking part in this event are Nadeem Aslam, Saqib Tufail and Ahmad Maqbool Baig (Lahore Garrison Golf Club), Mohammad Rehman and Mohsin Zafar (Royal Palm Golf & Country Club), Salman Jehangir and Wazir Ali, (Lahore Gymkhana Golf Club) and Zunair Aleem and Fakhar Imam (Defence Raya Golf Club).

As per rules of the competition, the championship trophy will be awarded to a competitor with the best net score. By virtue of this, players with a handicap above 5 and less than 12 and an ample golf playing skills can tilt the advantage towards them if they hold their nerves.

Such competitors are Omar Zia, Waleed Zubair, Ahmed Khalid, Taimur Shabbir, Dr Dildar Hussain, Taha Zaka, Ahsan Khawaja, Jamal Nasir, Omer Ehsan Dar and Muhammad Saleem Raza.

The defending champion is Hamza Mansoor. Other winners of the past decade are Qasim Khan (2013), Mohsin Zafar (2012), Asad Zia (2011), Sardar Muhammad Ahmed Leghari (2010), Muhammad Nasir Irshad (2009), Mohsin Zafar (2008), Waleed Zubir (2007), Zahid A. Khan (2006), Muhammad Hashim (2005) and Tashfeen Ashraf (2004).

The last week, the Government College University showed commendable performance in the Inter-Collegiate Swimming Championship organised by the Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (BISE), Lahore, at the FC University swimming pool. The GCU set an unprecedented record of securing all 19 gold medals, four silver and six bronze medals at the championship.

Ravian Haider Batoor was adjudged as the best swimmer winning overall seven gold medals. The team captain, Muhammad Farhan Shahid, won three gold and as many bronze medals. Rehman Javed, national record-holder Hassan Ali Raja, Usama Wyne and Azmatullah also won medals.

In an effort to promote hockey at the grassroots level by some Olympians, the first PT Yaqoob Memorial Hockey Tournament has kicked off in Gojra, a tehsil known for producing talented hockey players.

Olympian Danish Kaleem, Shahbaz Ahmad Junior, Muhammad Khalid Nadeem ND, International players Babar Abdullah and Khawar Javaid made arrangements for the tournament.

Two national teams of Wapda and PIA are also participating in the tourney along with Lahore Customs, Tahir Zaman Academy and Gojra Sports.

Published in Dawn, November 1st, 2015

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