SWAT: Swiss player Victor Rojer clinched first position in the giant slalom category on the final day of Pakistan International Snowboarding Championship at the scenic Malam Jabba ski resort in Swat.

More than 44 national and international players, four women among them, and fans of snowboarding from different countries including Switzerland, Belgium, France and Afghanistan participated in the event. Senator Faisal Javed was chief guest at the prize distribution ceremony.

The event was organised by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Culture and Tourism Authority (KP-CTA) under the auspices of tourism, sports, archaeology, culture, museums and youth affairs department and Samson Group of Companies.

Belgium’s snowboarder Julien Harry grabbed second and Harry got third position in the giant slalom male category. In the giant slalom female category, Pakistani snowboarders took all the top three positions. Fatma Nadeem clinched first, Sara Nadeem second and Ayesha Akmal got third position in the same category.

In the parallel giant slalom male category, Razaullah, a young snowboarder from Malam Jabba, clinched first position. Souresh Ahmad from Afghanistan got second position and Wakeel Ahmad from Pakistan stood third in the same category.

Similarly, in the parallel giant slalom female category, Pakistani snowboarder Sara Nadeem got first, Fatma Nadeem second and Ayesha Akmal grabbed third position.

All the top position holders received cash prizes and certificates from the chief guest at the concluding ceremony.

“It is very good to see national and international players participating in the snowboarding championship, which attracted a large number of tourists,” said Senator Faisal Javed. He said that government would facilitate investors for the promotion of tourism.

The international snowboarders said that they enjoyed the scenic valley and hospitality of the local people.

“Malam Jabba is a perfect place for ski and snowboarding activities. The landscape is mesmerising. Along the winter games, there must be other opportunities for adventure lovers like trekking, surfing, climbing, mountain bikes and others,” said Julien Harry, the Swiss snowboarder.

Waseemur Rehman, the CEO of Samson Group of Companies, said that there was a time when investors hesitated to invest in Swat. “We took risk and restored the chairlift, the hotel and other facilities by investing here,” he added.

Published in Dawn, January 25th, 2021