8 hockey teams to feature in 33rd National Games 2019
A total of eight teams will vie for the top honor on Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium in the forthcoming 33rd National Games to be commencing from October 26 to November 1, 2019 here provincial capital Peshawar.
A total of eight teams will vie for the top honor on Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium in the forthcoming 33rd National Games to be commencing from October 26 to November 1, here provincial capital Peshawar.
The decision in this connection was taken in a general council meeting of the KP with Chairman and former IGP Muhammad Saeed Khan in the Chair. President KP Hockey Association Syed Zahir Shah, members of the PHF Congress, Executive Board and representatives from various districts including merged districts were also present.
Briefing the media men, Muhammad Saeed Khan said that Khyber Pakhtukhwa Hockey Association along with Directorate of Sports KP and KP Olympic Association would organize the hockey event part of the National Games in befitting manners.
He said work on the renovation are currently continue and hopefully the Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium, which is fully equipped with international standard facilities, would give a good look and Peshawarites would see top Olympian part of the various participating teams in action.
Referring to the journalists' quiz at the media center, Saeed Khan and Zahir Shah said that four teams each from Pakistan Army, Pakistan WAPDA, Pakistan Railway, Pakistan Police, and four teams each from the provinces including Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and KP would take part in the 33rd National Games.
He said open trials will be organizing under the selection committee with one each observer from the merged tribal district and Directorate of Sports KP in order to select a strong team for the National Games.
He said a total of 33 players would be short-listed out of the camp to be setup at the same venue from September 30 to October 24. There is an open trials and no quota for merged districts, however, due chances would be given to them to come and be part of the camp and team.
There is a chance for everyone, he said, adding, the selection committee has been told to selection strong team purely on merits. He said Directorate of Sports is only supporting 27 players during the camp but the association has decided to have 33 players in the camp and mostly players from merged districts would be short-listed while all the extra expenses to be occurred on the camp would bear by the KP Hockey Association.
He said that in Nov this year the Association would organized late Brig. Abdul Hameed Hameed Memorial All Pakistan Hockey Tournament to pay homage and rich tribute to late Olympian, hailing from KP.
He said the KP Hockey Association has directed all the District Hockey Association to conduct their respective Inter-Club Hockey Championship in Nov this year. The Associations have given Nov 1-30 dateline for holding the Inter-Club Hockey Championship.
He said Secretary Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) Asif Bajwa has sent 150 hockey sticks to KP Hockey Association for the distribution among the players of Malakand, Swabi, Buner, Hockey and Dera Ismail Khan. He thanked Asif Bajwa for his timely support in sending hockey sticks to KP Hockey Association.
