Sports Bulletin

Players from Russia, Uzbekistan, Thailand, Iraq, Iran, Jordan, Philippines to participate in LeagueSports Bulletin ReportMumbai (India): It’s almost time for India to Handball as the inaugural edition of the Premier Handball League (PHL) inches closure with the conclusion of its auction process late on Sunday. A total of 116 players including International, India Internationals, and Domestic Handball talent were up for selection by six franchises namely Delhi Panzers, Garvit Gujarat, Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra Ironmen, Rajasthan Team (yet to be named) and Telugu Talons.The auctions started with the category of foreign players, the international players represented the Asian Handball Federation amongst other federations and all 18 International players were picked up by the teams. Each team was allowed to only select one foreign right-back, left-back and goalkeeper respectively. In terms of the biggest foreign imports, Telugu Talons went for the services of Andrei Igorevich Nedbailo (Goalkeeper) from Russia – a six-time Russian champion. Garvit Gujarat picked up Tuliboev Mukhtor (Right Back) from Uzbekistan, the 24-year-old is known for his exploits with the Uzbek team at the Interamnia World Cup wherein they clinched gold.Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh also made sure they didn’t fall short and went all out to secure the services of Iran’s Omid Reza (Goal Keeper), who has represented his country in the IHF Handball World Cup in the last two World Cup editions. On the other hand, Maharashtra Ironmen secured the services of Iran’s Right Back Jalal Kiani. Kiani is a silver medallist with the national team at the Asian Games. Delhi Panzers went for the 20-year-old Artem Martynov (Right Back) from Russia, a 2019 Russian Handball Championship gold medallist. Lastly, it was the Rajasthan Team (yet to be named) who selected the services of Iraq’s left-back Baderaladeen Naser. The second category was reserved for Indian star players and 42 players were up for selection by the franchises. Under this category, each team was allowed to pick only one player for each of the seven positions i.e. Right Back, Left Back, Centre Back, Right Wing, Left Wing and Pivot. Amongst the top Indian buys, Telugu Talons went for Raghu Kumara (Pivot) a four-time national champion, Garvit Gujarat secured Harender Singh Nain (Right Back) as their star Indian player, a three-time national champion and a two-time Gold medallist at the Federation Cup Tournaments and Golden Eagles Uttar Pradesh selected Bhushan Shinde (Right Wing) as their most valuable Indian asset for the 2 / 2 league.For Maharashtra Ironmen, winger Ankit Kumar – a member of Gold Medal Winning Indian Squads for the IHF Trophy- in 2016 & 2018 and a Silver medallist at the 2019 South Asian Games was the most valuable player. Delhi Panzers went for Pivot Mintu Sardar again a three-time national champion and lastly, it was Rajasthan who selected Robin Singh (Left Back) – a four-time national champion as their most valuable Indian star player. The final category of the day was called Role Players and 56 domestic Indian players were a part of the same. 42 out of the 56 were picked. Telugu Talons’ most valuable in this category was Rahul Nain (Pivot), Garvit Gujarat went with Right Back – Surender Kumar, and Golden Eagles selected Sanchit Gupta (Right Wing) and Mohit Punia (Right Back) joined Maharashtra Ironmen. Delhi Panzers went with youth and picked up the 20-year-old Pivot Deepak and lastly, Rajasthan secured Mohit Ghanghas (Left Back) as their biggest player in the Role Players category. Manu Agrawal, CEO of Bluesport Entertainment Private Limited said:“It was an exhilarating experience. We have been working on solidifying the structure of the Premier Handball League for a while. A successful auction process has taken us a step closer to D-Day. I would like to thank all the franchise owners, the South Asian Handball Federation and Handball Association India for making the auctions a huge success. Being the first edition, it took a lot of research by the franchises to select the best 17 for their team but this also makes the inaugural season even more exciting as a lot of unknown elements will be at play when they finally get onto the field.”The Premier Handball League (PHL), is sanctioned by the South Asian Handball Federation and affiliated with the Asian Handball Federation (AHF). The inaugural season of the Premier Handball League is set to kick off on June 8 and run until June 25, 2023.

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: The HHS inter-school staff cricket tournament will start on May 6, 2023, at UBL Sports Complex Karachi. According to an official of HHS, the 75th HHS inter-school staff cricket tournament will be organized by the HHS school system next month, as the top six teams will fight for top honour including the HHS School system, Foundation Public School, Alfa Education Network, Bay View Academy, Generation School, and Nasra School.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD: The 6-day training camp for visually impaired women and girls concluded here at Margzar cricket ground on Monday that was organized by Australian High Commission to Pakistan in collaboration with the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council (PBCC) and Serena Hotels. Australian High Commissioner Neil Hawkins said: “Australia’s support aims to provide more women and girls with disabilities the opportunities to compete and demonstrate their ability, while promoting inclusion in sport. We hope to break gender stereotypes and negative perceptions associated with people with disabilities through our support of this initiative. Australia and Pakistan share a passion for cricket, so we are happy to support the Pakistan Blind Cricket Council’s efforts to bring women and girls living with disabilities into the sport,”. Chairman PBCC Syed Sultan Shah said: “Blind Cricket is a sport that has gained popularity in recent years for its unique approach to inclusivity. It provides an opportunity for people with visual impairments to compete at a high level, develop their skills and confidence, and become people of vision, both on and off the field. I hope that this initiative will inspire more people with disabilities to participate in sports and lead fulfilling lives.” It is pertinent to mention here that the two blind factory workers invented blind cricket in Melbourne, Australia, in 1922 when they improvised the game using a tin can containing rocks. A few years later, in 1928, the first sports ground and clubhouse for blind cricket was built at Kooyong in Melbourne.

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: The 1st Rope Skipping and Jump Rope Championship concluded in Karachi, In the event, as the employees of Karachi University took part in the different disciplines. Abdul Basit Director Physical Education of Karachi University, graced the closing ceremony as a chief guest. He shared his thoughts and congratulated the players for being a part of the rope skipping championship. Sindh won the title of Boys & Girls (Single & Team) National Jump Rope & Rope Skipping Championship 2023 and got the Trophy Sindh Captains Muneeba Aktar and Mohammad Husain. National Jump Rope and Rope Skipping Championship was started on 3rd March at Karachi University, Karachi. Results of Games. 1st Position. (Sindh) Boys and girls Single & Team Event 2nd Position, (Baluchistan) Boys and girls Single & Team Event 3rd Position, (KPK) Boys and girls Single & Team Event

Sports Bulletin Report ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) along with Higher Education Commission (HEC), Pakistan officially launched the Football and Volleyball Talent Hunt programme today at the COMSATS University Islamabad in which national soccer and volleyball female players participated with zeal and zest. Federal Minister for Power, Khurram Dastgir was chief guest at the ceremony while Shaza Fatima Khawaja, Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs, Dr. Shaista Sohail, Executive Director, HEC and Prof. Dr. Tabassum Afzal, Rector COMSATS University Islamabad were guest of honour at this occasion. Also, Javed Ali Memon, Director/ In-charge Sports and Co-curricular Division, HEC, officials of the Pakistan Football Federation, Pakistan Volleyball Federation, women’s national team players of football and volleyball joined the event. According to an official, the football and volleyball trials of male and female players of age 15 to 25 years would be held in five phases in each of the five regions including Federal Capital, Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Gilgit-Baltistan (GB), Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KPK). On this occasion, Khurram Dastgir while addressing the youngsters advised them by sharing lessons from the poetry of Allama Mohammad Iqbal, to be their own leaders and take hold of their own lives. He maintained that despite maligning the performance of state institutions, it is our utmost responsibility to do our part wholeheartedly for the development of our country. He gave credit for conducting Football and Volleyball Talent Hunt in a systematic way to Special Assistant to Prime Minister on Youth Affairs. He critically opined that everyone among us particularly youth are glued to their cell phones and social media; involving them in Sports is really an excellent job done. In the end, he encouraged youngsters to actively participate in trials to play their role in reviving Pakistan’s glorious past in sports. Shaza Fatima Khawaja informed the participants that despite curtailed resources and financial constraints Government of Pakistan is committed to continuing investing on youth-centric initiatives. She also announced that throughout the year, PMYP will continue to conduct various events to involve youth in productive activities. Encouraging youth, she said that we understand 68% of our population is of youth, which is why our emphasis is on youth development in every aspect including sports. Today, we all are gathered on this gracious occasion to formally Launch Football and Volleyball Talent Hunt, said Executive Director, HEC. She informed that HEC has been entrusted by the Government of Pakistan to execute Talent Hunt Sports League, which is first of its kind project. She further said that HEC has conducted 100 trials of weightlifting, wrestling and hockey (men & women); conducted 5 provincial leagues of wrestling and weightlifting each and two national leagues as well. Football and Volleyball Talent Hunt activities are part of this project, she added. Prof. Dr. Tabassum Afzal said: “It is indeed honour for COMSATS University to host dignitaries and young students from various universities of twin cities in the ceremony of Football & Volleyball Talent Hunt Launch. He also thanked Government of Pakistan and HEC for engaging universities in the initiative of national interest.

Dubai (UAE): Sports and online gaming exchange has gained massive popularity since enthusiasts began discovering easier and quicker ways to indulge in the thrill of wagering responsibly. Popular Bollywood celebrity actress Jacqueline Fernandez has now hopped onto the brand ambassador bandwagon for the well known and widely trusted brand: FairPlay. Of Sri Lankan origin, Jacqueline has predominantly worked in Hindi films and is now a household name with a staggering fan following among Bollywood fanatics. FairPlay was founded in 2019 and provides a sports and gaming exchange for cricket and 30 other premium sports. It is known for regularly offering the highest odds in the market, ensuring value to users. Research confirms FairPlay as the most trusted sports and gaming exchange operating in India. Jacqueline’s contagious energy and her fun loving personality make her the perfect face for a brand like FairPlay. A FairPlay spokesperson said, “we’re excited to have Jacqueline onboard. Team FairPlay believes that this association will bring out the best in both parties and we look forward to a fruitful partnership with Jacqueline.” Having garnered the love of millions in her over a decade long career in Bollywood, Jacqueline has always been known and loved for her contagious zeal and enthusiasm. The adrenaline rush that pumps through a gamer in a casino or an exciting sports match is well represented by Jacqueline’s fun spirited personality. “I’m excited to represent FairPlay” Jacqueline said. “I believe that responsible gaming can be thrilling and exciting to say the least and FairPlay is the best in the game!” Jacqueline has since her debut made her mark in the industry. The gaming world is one where the possibilities are endless and needless to say, thrilling. Jacqueline brings to the brand a face that suits the personality that both her and FairPlay can carry individually and as a team. A leading Bollywood actress and a leader in the online gaming industry- FairPlay is definitely a partnership to watch out for (PR).

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: Red House won the title of the Annual Sports Festival 2023 of Happy Home School (HHS) Society Campus, as Red House collected 34 points in different sports disciplines. Service Yellow and Faith Green jointly took the second position with 33 points, while Unity Blue won the third position with 26 points at KMC Sports Complex on Sunday. The various athletics competitions as well as skipping, taekwondo and gymnastics events were organized in which a large number of students participated. The chief guest Asif Azim, Media Advisor of the Pakistan Olympic Association, along with Program Director of Happy Home School System Dr. Maleeha Ahmed, School Principal Bushra Hasan, Head of Primary Section Farah Naz, Sports Teacher Mohammad Shariq Siddiqui, and Rakhshan distributed trophies, medals and awards to the successful players. Chief guest Asif Azim said: “The abilities of the students of our country are not less in any way in education as well as in sports.  What is needed is that they should be provided the best sports infrastructure and a suitable platform, so that they can utilize their talent to raise the prestige of the country and the nation at the national and international level”. Programme Director Maleeha Ahmed said: “Such events at the school level, new talent is emerging and the future star players are being prepared.  It is a great pleasure to see the students of the school playing. We hope that these children will be seen representing us at the national level and also at the international level in the future”. School Principal Bushra Hassan said: “Players success is hundred per cent subject to physical fitness. If the young athletes are provided with education as well as a sports environment from their home and school, discipline, endurance, and sportsman spirit will be significantly included in their mindset”.

Sports Desk ISLAMABAD: Over the years, India has achieved massive success in the field of sports. One of the key reasons behind it is the emergence of various leagues and tournaments in the country that has allowed many players to get the right exposure and showcase their talent on a global stage. The leagues have unearthed many talented players in India. An MBA graduate, Madhukar Shree has been in the field of sports management for over a decade and has been fortunate enough to have worked closely with many of the leagues and players not only in the Indian subcontinent but globally. Apart from working and heading a few teams and IPs across various sports, including cricket, kho kho, badminton, tennis, football etc. Madhukar has closely worked with many world-class athletes and investors to explore, evaluate and execute investments across leagues and new IPs. Aiming to use his experience, learnings, network and knowledge to guide investors, so that they invest smartly in the right direction to achieve their goals and help the entire sporting ecosystem in the country to scale new heights. "Sports in India have seen massive growth in the last two decades, and the emergence of different leagues and tournaments in the country plus globally has certainly played a big role in it. The leagues have produced many star players across India in different sports, and we need to increase the number of leagues to unearth more talents in the country. The only way to do that is to bring more investment in the sporting ecosystem of India," commented Madhukar Shree. He added, "I have been working with many leagues, companies and athletes across India and globally. In my career, I have learned a lot about the sporting ecosystem and will like to use my knowledge to contribute to the growth of different sports in India. I want to guide different brands and investors to explore the opportunities in sports in India. I aim to help them evaluate and invest in the right products in the country, which aligns with their goals and vision for sports in India." Madhukar Shree is also excited about the opportunities that lie ahead and believes that Indian sports still have the potential to grow at a rapid pace.

Sports Bulletin Report KARACHI: Happy Home School System (HHSS) annual sports will be held on February 18 with a large number of school students and their parents will participate. Also, Physical Training (PT) PT display and gymnastics will be performed by the school children on this occasion. According to an official, competitions are also organized for the mental development of children. Medals and prizes will be distributed among the successful children at the closing ceremony by the management of Happy Home School System Dr. Maleeha Ahmed, Dr. Maleeha Ahmed Program Director and School Principal Bushra Hasan. Head of Primary Section Farah Naz and sports teacher Mohammad Shariq Siddiqui will also be present in the ceremony.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD: Pakistan Army snatched the men’s title after beating defending champions Pakistan WAPDA 30-27 in the final of 22nd National Netball Championship here at Liaqat Gymnasium Pakistan Sports Complex on Tuesday. WAPDA claimed women’s title. The men’s final was thrilling, as the players of both teams exhibited top-quality games. In the first quarter, the winners were 2 points ahead but the rest of the three quarters 7 minutes each were entertaining. After completing the second quarter the match was leveled at 17-17, as after the penultimate quarter the score was 21-21. However, when the referee rang the final whistle the scoreboard was showing 25-25.     To make the decision of champion, the jury gave the extra time of 4 minutes, as the Army athletes were quick and got the vital lead at the start, as the match finished at 30-27. Mohammad Iqbal and Mohammad Wasim scored 17 and 13 points for Pakistan Army respectively while Zain Hussain scored 27 points for Pakistan WAPDA. Earlier, in the women's final, Pakistan WAPDA defeated Sindh by 7-16 points. Nisha Sultan scored 11 points for Pakistan WAPDA and Quratul Ain scored 7 points for Sindh. Before the finals, 3rd position play-off matches were played, Pakistan Air Force defeated Pakistan Navy by 13-23 points in the men's event. Akhtar scored 23 points for Pakistan Air Force while Babar Manan scored 13 points for Pakistan Navy. In the women's third position match, Pakistan Army defeated Higher Education Commission by 18-30 points. Ayesha got 24 points for Pakistan Army while Khadija got 12 points for Higher Education Commission. Twelve teams from across the country participated in the championship. Chairman, Pakistan Netball Federation (PNF) and former IG Police (R), Zafar Iqbal Awan was the chief guest at the closing ceremony of the championship who distributed trophies, medals and certificates to the winning players.  President PNF Mudassar Arain, Senior Vice President Sameen Malik, Secretary General, Syed Gohar Raza, Directors, PSB Saeed Akhtar and Mohammad Waheed  Khan were also present.