LAHORE: Army Services Sports of Pakistan won the first International PACES Competition 2016 which concluded at the Fortress Stadium here on Sunday night.

Chief of the Army Staff General Raheel Sharif was the chief guest who also gave away medals and prizes to all the winners.

Addressing a packed Fortress Stadium, General Raheel Sharif thanked the army teams of China, Australia, Bahrain, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Jordan, Kazakhstan, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, Maldives, Malaysia, Nepal, Sri Lanka, Turkey and England for their visit.The grand closing ceremony entertained a large number of people who had thronged the stadium. Pakistan army displayed stunning performance in different drills meant for self-defense.

A tent-pegging event was also included in the closing ceremony. Singers Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Zafar rendered national songs.

Earlier in the morning hundreds of athletes belonging to all genders and age groups participated in two (3.2 and 2 kilometers) mini marathons which were the last events of the gala.

The athletes of 14 foreign armies also participated in the races which started from Askari-10 and concluded at the Ayub Stadium.

Army teams from all participating countries contested in the category of pull-ups on the opening day. It was a wonderful occasion to watch as athletes engaged themselves in a highly charged but disciplined contest to outshine others. Soldiers from People’s Liberation Army (China) and Pakistan Army excelled.

Published in Dawn October 24th, 2016