Around 1,200 boys and girls are featuring in different events of the 2nd Chief Minister Punjab Sports Competitions in which intermediate colleges are competing. Top colleges of nine divisions of Punjab are competing in six different disciplines of boys namely athletics, badminton, cricket, football, hockey and volleyball. Girls are vying for four disciplines -- athletics, badminton, hockey and volleyball.

All the colleges qualified for the final contest after winning matches at teshil, district and divisional levels. The entire exercise will attract students towards sports activities which have almost vanished in educational institutions.

But there is a need to ensure that no outsider will be representing any college just to win prizes. If it happens the real spirit of these competitions, for which the government has allocated millions of rupees, will be damaged and it will not deliver positive results.

Reports are that some protests were lodged by different divisions in this connection, but those have been overruled.

Although the Punjab Sports Board (PSB) has involved provincial sports associations to organize matches, the involvement of PSB coaches in coordinating matters, besides providing transport and meal to players is a great insult to them.

Perhaps, the PSB does not know the importance of coaches who are meant to groom the talent and who enjoy a great respect in nations which have earned a good name in sports all over the world.

Coaches have never been good organizers and such kind of unprofessional duties will only dishearten them.

In fact, the province has tehsil sports officers in all 125 tehsils of the province, besides having district sports officers in 36 districts and divisional sports officers in nine divisions who can do this job more appropriately.

All sportspersons took part in the march past at the opening ceremony held on Friday.

Each gold medalist will receive Rs10,000, silver medalist Rs7,500 and bronze medalist Rs5,000.

To make financial arrangements crystal-clear, the PSB has made a strict payment procedure. It is a good practice, but no one should be troubled owing to any complication as payments to many sportsmen were delayed in the last edition of these games at the school level.

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Having a maximum model of toy cars is also a fun in the world. Aamir Ashfaq, a resident of Allama Iqbal Town, Lahore, has a great passion for this hobby and, since the age of eight, he has collected more than 4,000 model cars.

In a chat with Dawn, Aamir said those die-cast models are from the US, England, Germany, Italy, France, Greece, Japan, Hong Kong, China, Taiwan, Malaysia, Thailand, Macao and the makers/brands are Matchbox, Hot Wheels, Majorette, Corgi, Burago, Tomica, Jada Toys, Real Toy, Maisto, Welly, Kinsmart etc.

He said collecting toy cars was an addictive hobby that was not only be a fun and education, but also a good investment as the value of many toy cars increased with the passage of time.

“Since early childhood I have been engaged with cars. I appreciate my parents and their efforts to promote my passion. They never discouraged me whenever I asked for a toy car and even they advised me how to care these,” Aamir said.

“My uncles, aunts and cousins living abroad have also contributed their share and I receive toy cars every time they visit Pakistan,” he said.

“American long vehicles have always impressed me and I have many models of American famous cars like Chevrolet, Buick, Cadillac, Pontiac, Plymouth and Dodge.

Similarly, British, Italian, French, German, Japanese, European automobile models are also a part of my extensive collection,” he said. “I have car models of yesteryears too, highlighting my collection as category of antique cars”. I also possess models of London bus, London taxi, American yellow colored school bus and movie cars,” he said.

He said it was quite difficult to collect a huge number of die-cast cars in Pakistan because of their non-availability. At present, it is rather easy and affordable due to China.

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Lahore will be a venue of many national cricket events next week. On Sunday, it will host semi-final of the National One-Day Cup between Habib Bank Limited and Wapda at Qadhafi Stadium and the final on Tuesday.

A short training camp for Pakistan world cup squad will also be held here till its departure to Dhaka, Bangladesh, on Feb 10.

The camp will begin soon after the Pakistan team returns after a successful tour of New Zealand. Pakistan won two Test match series 1-0 and six one-day international series 3-2 as one match was washed out. However, Pakistan lost the three-match T20 series 2-1.

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Pakistan tennis prodigy Aisamul Haq Qureshi showed his interest in cricket when he was the chief guest at the annual cricket match of the Mental Hospital.

During his visit to hospital, Aisam not only showed his love for the game of cricket but also proved how much love and sympathy he has for patients suffering from mental diseases. He has recently returned from Australia after playing in the Australian Open.