Women Hockey Tournament To Help Promote The Game Among Women: Federal Minister IPC Fahmida Mirza

LAHORE, (APP - UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Oct, 2021 ) :Federal Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination (IPC) Fahmida Mirza said on Wednesday that holding of First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship was a step forward to further promote the game among women folk.

Speaking as a chief guest at the closing ceremony of the event Federal Minister for IPC Fahmida Mirza said it was a heartening sign that women are fast coming up in various sports specially in hockey.

Wapda women hockey team defeated Punjab Colours by 4-0 to clinch inaugural First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship.

Railways women hockey team trounced Army by 2-1 in the 3rd/4th position match at the National hockey stadium.

She lauded the efforts of Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh and PHF Women Hockey Wing General Manager Ms Tanzeela Amir Cheema for organising a grand tournament, in which 14 women hockey teams from across the country participated.

Federal Minister for IPC Fahmida Mirza further said the government was taking stringent measures to introduce Sports Policy-2021 in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan.

"It was a painful fact that the sports department was totally ignored in the past but now our government was promoting sports among the younger generation in a systematic way".

She further said all the provinces should come forward and hold sports competitions on a regular basis to nurture talent in all sports. "It was the need of the hour to incline our children towards sports activities to grow a healthy society.

We are also making compact plans to activate sports at school and club level on a regular basis because these are the best nurseries to prepare young talented players," she said.

Speaking on the occasion, Secretary Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani thanked all distinguished guests for attending the closing ceremony and top women hockey teams of the country for taking part in First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship.

Hashim Rabbani said the Punjab govt was making utmost efforts for the revival of hockey in line with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan and Chief Minister Usman Buzdar. "Hockey High Performance Centre was being established for the first time in the history of the country. This High Performance Centre will certainly play a key role in the true promotion of hockey in the country".

Director General Sports Punjab Adnan Arshad Aulakh said the First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship was organised to prepare Pakistan female hockey players for first-ever FIH Hockey 5s World Cup scheduled to be staged in Oman's capital city, Muscat in 2024. "Sports board Punjab was making useful efforts for the revival of hockey and the First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship was also a part of that campaign".

Adnan Arshad Aulakh said definitely it's a historic day as far as the future of national hockey was concerned. "We are quite upbeat that the First Chief Minister Punjab 5-a-Side National Women Hockey Championship would play an important role for the revival of hockey in the country".