Last week a group of 23 U-14 footballers, mainly from Chitral and some from Gilgit-Baltistan, were in Lahore on an 11-day tour to play four matches against different teams.

They played two drawn games, one each against Lahore Grammar School and Model Town Academy, winning one against Aitchison College and losing one against City School.

The initiative of the tour was taken by an NGO head, Aashiq Hussain Qureshi. The NGO first held training camps in Chitral’s six tehsils -- Ayon, Dir, Mastooj, Booni, Garam Chashma, and Darosh. At least 35 probables attended the camps under the national coaches, who carried the Asian Football Confederation Licenses of coaching. They were Najeebullah, Ghaffar, Qazi Asif and Saeedullah while Ikhtiarul Haq coached the boys at two centres in Booni and Garam Chashma.

Chitral team captain Safwan in a talk with Dawn said though the Chitral district had no proper facilities for football, the boys were performing well. He said a football ground was also developed in Chitral. He said trials for the Chitral team, for the next phase of the initiative, were held in Lahore.

He said most probably three or four players would be picked for the U-14 team to participate in the Barcelona festival football event to be held in April this year.

Mr Safwan said he and all members of the touring team had enjoyed their 11-day stay in Lahore.

Mr Qureshi said that his NGO was generating funds from the Pakistani community for the national cause and the purpose of the initiate was to groom boys of far-flung areas to show their mettle in sports.

The Pakistan Weightlifting Federation organized for the first time a national inter-club weightlifting championship in Lahore this last week. Though the response was not that much encouraging as only eight clubs from all over the country participated in the event, it is hoped the number of teams will increase with the passage of time.

Overall, it was a fine attempt to promote the game at the club level.

The Punjab University won the HEC Inter-Varsity Women Cycling Championship which was held last week in Lahore.

Imperial University remained runner-up and Lahore College for Women University captured third place with 59 points.

Sidra Sadaf from Imperial University was declared the best player. She was also adjudged as the fastest cyclist of the event.

Eight universities from all over the country competed in the three-day gala.

Published in Dawn, February 12th, 2017