Last week the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) organized a seminar on sports in Lahore with the title ‘Way Forward’. Since the standard of sports has fallen drastically in the country, such seminar is the need of the hour to create awareness among the masses, government and national sports federations as how to move forward.

A good number of presidents, secretaries and chairmen of different national sports federations and some officials of the Pakistan Sports Board were present.

However, neither federal sports minister Riaz Pirzada nor any provincial minister of four provinces attended the seminar. Only sports minister of Gilgit-Baltistan Fida Hussain Fida attended the seminar.

Speakers only repeated the old demands, but since both federal and provincial sports minister were not present, the objectives of the seminar could hardly be achieved.

The first Women Hockey League, started at the National Hockey Stadium this last week, is still in progress.

The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF)’s Women Wing, in collaboration with the Punjab Women Hockey Association and Sports Board Punjab, is holding the event jointly. Five teams -- Lahore Lions, Karachi Dolphins, Quetta Panthers, Islamabad Shaheen and Peshawar Deer -- are taking part in the event.

The Pakistan women hockey team has no standing at the international level because of less exposure. The PHF should arrange more activities for its women wing.

After a long gap of 12 years, the Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) has succeeded in convincing its international chapter to allow it to hold the Davis Cup tie in Pakistan.

Though Iran had refused to come to Pakistan to play the tie, the International Tennis Federation (ITF) rejected its protest and allowed the PTF to hold the tie in Islamabad.

Rashid Malik, the non-playing captain of the Pakistan team, before his departure to Islamabad from Lahore told Dawn that it could be a turning point in restoring the international sports activities in Pakistan which had been suspended since 2009.

He had predicted Pakistan’s victory before his departure which proved right as Pakistan has gained 3-0 lead in five-match tie.

Pakistan top tennis prodigy Aisamul Haq and national champion Aqeel Khan won both their single and double matches.

The cricket in the old city area is going to be revived as 10 practice pitches (cemented) will be prepared to accommodate 15 cricket clubs which will soon resume their practice sessions there.

These clubs had been holding their nets for many decades, some even before partition. All the practice pitches and cricket grounds were destructed to pave the way for the Greater Iqbal Parks by the Punjab government.

The provincial government has now marked a piece of land near the Greater Iqbal Parks for these clubs to hold their net practice.

Published in Dawn, February 5th, 2017