LAHORE, June 30: Punjab has refused to take the runners-up trophy of the Inter-provincial U-17 athletics championship for boys at Abbotabad on Friday in protest for not being declared as winners.

According to a press release issued by Sports Board Punjab the decision was taken after the host NWFP declared themselves winners, setting aside the prescribed rules.

The press release stated that Punjab's international coach Mohammad Siddiq informed that it had been decided before the start of the competition that the winners would be decided on points system, which was in order for the last 28 years.

He said according to that system, Punjab had won the trophy and its players were celebrating the victory when the organisers declared their own province as winners.

The Punjab team boycotted the ceremony and left the venue, refusing to take the runners-up trophy, the coach said.

Ch Siddiq appealed the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) to hold an inquiry into the bad incident and to give the trophy to the deserving team.