KARACHI: The inaugural Introduction and Coaching Course for deaf and dumb children commenced here on Wednesday at the Park for Special People at Clifton.

“This is for the first time that a coaching course has been organised for the deaf and dumb players,” national softball head coach Asif Azeem said. “With this course, we are aiming to promote healthy activities among these children and it is a great feeling.”

Asif added that basic knowledge regarding the sport would also be imparted to the participants in the course which was participated in by around seventy players on the first day of the event.

The program has been conducted separately for three different age groups. The first group comprises participants aged 10 to 14, the second from age 15 to 18 and the third group consists of participants above 18 years of age.

The participants will also be given certificates after the conclusion of the coaching programme while a team of deaf children will also be formed. Softball Federation of Pakistan (SFP) president Mohammad Salim Khan was also present during the opening ceremony and expressed satisfaction on the handsome turnout of children for the course. He said that SFP would organise more such events in the future.

Apart from Asif, chief umpire Zaheer Hussain, Mohammad Iqbal, Jamil Javed and Faraz Ijaz gave lectures on softball to the participants and also distributed accessories among the participants.