Secretary of Sports and Youth Affairs Punjab, Shahid
Zaman, inaugurated the Sports Board Punjab (SBP)
Junior Tennis Championship 2023 on Wednesday
here at SBP Tennis Academy in Nishtar Park.
Secretary Sports Shahid Zaman himself hit a shot to
declare the event open while the colorful opening
ceremony witnessed the presence of esteemed
guests, including SBP Head Coach Rashid Malik
(Tamgha-e-Imtiaz), players, their families, and
devoted tennis enthusiasts. The Secretary Sports
met all the participating players and also observed a
gripping singles match between juniors.
Expressing his vision, Shahid Zaman said: “In the
financial year 2023, our primary focus is the
development of players. We have already enhanced
our infrastructure, and now we are committed to
nurturing internationally competitive players. These
young talents will receive training and guidance
from qualified national and international coaches,
along with access to top-notch facilities.
Additionally, we have planned international tours
for our talented players, with the expectation that
they will strive hard and bring international glory to
Pakistan.”
He said the Sports Endowment Fund has received
an impressive sum of two billion rupees, which will
be utilized to provide scholarships to deserving
players, motivating them to excel in their chosen
sports. Moreover, the SBP has been organizing
various sports summer camps across the province,
engaging children in sports activities during their
summer vacations. These camps will serve as
significant platforms for talented players to exhibit
their skills and emerge as national and international
champions.
PLTA Secretary Rashid Malik extended his heartfelt
thanks to Secretary Sports Shahid Zaman for hosting
the SBP Punjab Junior Tennis Championship. He also
acknowledged the announcement of the second leg
of the SBP High Performance Tennis Training that
follows this championship.
“I am profoundly grateful to Secretary Sports Mr.
Shahid Zaman, who, being a tennis player and an
ardent promoter of the sports, possesses a
remarkable vision for sports in general and tennis in
particular. His proactive measures will undoubtedly
benefit players and contribute to the long-term
success of tennis in Pakistan.” Malik also
commended the dedicated efforts of Advisor to
Chief Minister Punjab, Wahab Riaz, and DG Sports
Punjab, Dr. Asif Tufail, for the promotion sports in
Punjab.
“If government and private sectors invest properly
in talented players and hold high performance
camps at least two times a year with proper
competitions, I am sure Pakistan can bring medals
in any game. We must start it right now and our
focus should be on producing champions and result-
oriented players. Every country is known by sports
so we need to sit together, join hands and work
hard to give results,” Malik added.
The first day of the championship witnessed a total
of 20 matches. In boys’ U-18 category, Haider
Nadeem beat Hafiz M Imran 8-1, Yafat Nadeem
beat M Sohaan Noor 8-0, Ahmad beat M Aneek 8-1,
Ahmad Raza beat Hanzla Anwar 8-1 and Shaheer
Khan beat Hassan Ali 8-1. In boys’ U-16, Ibrahim Sufi
beat Ahmad 8-3.
In boys’ U-14, Awais Zia beat Ahmad Khuda Bakhsh
8-3 and Ibrahim Sufi beat Syed Ahmad Fareed 8-0.
In boys/girls U-12 first round, Awais Zia, Syed
Ahmad Fareed, Aliyan Ali and Muhammad Muaz
emerged as winners while in boys/girls U-10 first
round, Mustafa Zia and Ayyan Shahbaz recorded
victories.
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