The Sui Northern Gas Pipelines (SNGPL) has formed its hockey team at a time when many traditional departments like Customs, Allied Bank, Habib Bank and others have already ended their hockey teams.
The SNGPL is participating in the National Championship which has started in Lahore last week. Its team comprises mainly of youngsters who are competing in the national event under the coaching of Olympian Muhammad Usman.
Overall 13 departmental teams are participating in the premier national contest of the Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF). Almost all players of the Pakistan senior, junior and U-21 teams are representing different teams, including PIA, Wapda, Sui Southern Gas Company, National Bank of Pakistan and army.
The PIA team will make every effort to achieve hat-trick by winning the title this year as well.
The unprofessional attitude of the PHF is noticed when tournament director Olympian Syed Mussadiq announced the draws of the tournament before media without holding a traditional meeting of managers.
It gave a bad taste as some managers of the participating teams raised objections over the draws. Consequently, the PHF announced fresh draws which could not be communicated to the media well on time.
The national championship is important for the players as best of them will be selected for the national training camp.
The top performers from the training camp will be selected to represent Pakistan team for the hectic international programme chalked out by the PHF.
This will be an attempt to revive hockey and to qualify for the World Cup 2018.
The Pakistan team will tour Australia and New Zealand to play three-Test matches against each country. The team will also tour Malaysia for Azlan Shah Cup. Finally, the team will appear in the World Cup qualifiers to be held in London in June next year.
On the invitation of the Pakistan Cycling Federation (PCF), six cyclists from Afghanistan are in Lahore to participate in the Quaid-i-Azam Day cycle race which will be held from Lahore to Sahiwal on Sunday (today).
PCF secretary Khwaja Idris said that cash prizes were also being offered to top 10 position holders. The total distance of the race is 165 kilometres.
Mr Idris said that 70 cyclists were participating in the event.
The Pakistan Boxing Council (PBC) is organising a professional boxing fight, the first of its kind in Lahore, on Dec 27. The PBC has started holding boxing bouts on professional basis despite having little resources.
It will be the fourth professional fight as three others were already held in Balochistan. The fight between Zulqarnain Khan of Punjab and Naseeb Agha of Balochistan will be held at the Islamia College, Civil Lines, with a cash prize of Rs20,000.
Published in Dawn, December 25th, 2016
