ISLAMABAD: Olympic gold medallist Arshad Nadeem on Friday said that the Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Games was an excellent opportunity for young athletes to showcase their talent.

The 27-year-old javelin thrower Arshad said this while attending the trophy unveiling ceremony of the Quaid-e-Azam Inter-Provincial Games at the Pakistan Sports Complex in Islamabad where the multi-sport competition formally starts on Saturday. The Games are being held after a gap of seven years.

The star athlete, who made the whole nation proud by winning the elusive Olympic gold medal for Pakistan in Paris earlier this year, unveiled the trophy and expressed his encouragement for the young athletes participating in the national competition.

“This is a major step towards the promotion of sports in Pakistan. It will provide young athletes with an excellent opportunity to showcase their talents, and I am hopeful that this platform will produce international-level players for the country,” Arshad said while speaking on the occasion.

The ceremony was attended among others by Pakistan Sports Board director general Yasir Pirzada.

“The purpose of this event [Quaid-e-Azam Games] is to highlight the present sports talent in the country and provide them with opportunities to grow. We are optimistic that these competitions will play a pivotal role in bringing new talent to the fore,” Yasir said.

According to the PSB, around 2,100 male and female athletes will be seen during the week-long Games in 15 sports disciplines.

Teams from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Sindh, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Islamabad are participating in the Games.

The event features competitions in 15 disciplines, including athletics, badminton, boxing, football, hockey, judo, kabaddi, karate, squash, swimming, taekwondo, table tennis, volleyball, weightlifting and wrestling.

Published in Dawn, December 14th, 2024