PESHAWAR : A total of 12 Hockey Olympians will be coming to Peshawar to inaugurate the forthcoming Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Inter-Regional Under-16 Boys Hockey Championship on December 22 at Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium, President KP Hockey Association Captain (Retd) Tariq Hayat told APP here on Wednesday.
He said Hockey Olympians and legendries Islahuddin Sadique, Sami Ullah, Iftikhar Sayed, Manzoor Ul Hassan, Shehnaz Sheikh, Rashid Ul Hassan, Salim Nazim, Iqbal Bali, Usman Sheikh, Olympian Hassan Sardar, Hanif Khan and Musaddiq Hussain will be received at the entrance of Qayyum Sports Complex for which all arrangements have already been made.
The Olympians will be received and garland before taking to the Lala Ayub Hockey Stadium. The players of all the participating teams from the seven regions comprising Dera Ismail Khan, Bannu, Kohat, Mardan, Swat, Hazara and host Peshawar would receive the hockey Olympians.
Besides inaugurating the Championship, the Olympian would see the matches of the Championship and would give tips to the upcoming players. He said that teams from all seven regions will be taking part. He said the arrival of the team would be completed on December 21 and the opening ceremony of the tournament will be held on December 22, 2016 at 3.00 p.m.
Tariq Hayat said that during the Championship prominent sports organizers, World Champions Qamar Zaman and Jansher Khan, KP Sports Minister Mehmood Khan, Director Sports PAF Sports Control Committee Group Captain Asghar Awan, represented from various associations affiliated with the KP Olympic Association, Director General Sports KP Miss Rashida Ghaznavi, representatives from the printand electronic media, people from different walk of life, would also be invited to witness the colourful opening ceremony.
He said a total of 35 probables would be short-listed for the camp to be organized at a same venue wherein KP Hockey Academy coaches Yasir Islam and Zia Binori would impart training and coaching.
He said World Elite Panel Hockey Umpire Faiz Muhammad Faizi will act as Tournament Director and Umpire Manager as well. During the Championship refreshers courses would also be imparted with Umpire Clinic headed by Faiz Muhammad Faizi. One umpire from each of the region would be invited to attend the Umpiring Clinic.
He said the office-bearers of the Regional Hockey Association has been directed to holding their trials for the selection of the teams at Regional Headquarter levels.
He said in Peshawar Regional teams from Nowshera, Charsadda and Peshawar would take part to select a team for the forthcoming Regional Under-16 Hockey Championship.
He said after organizing trials, each of the regions will hold their respective camps well before the Championship. It is mandatory to have one team at Under-16 level. With this we can improve hockey at grassroots level.
He said arrangements for the successful holding of the Championship at Under-16 level have been kicked off and hopefully like KP Regional Inter-Club Hockey Championship, KP Regional Under-16 Boys Hockey Championship would also be organized in befitting manners.
