Peshawar (Sports Report):-The Secretary General of Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF), Mansoor Ahmed said that Pakistan Judo Federation in collaboration with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Judo Association, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Sports Directorate and Pakistan Sports Board would staged the 27th Men and 10th Women National Judo Championships from December 31, 2021 January 3, 2022 at Qayyum Stadium Peshawar. As many as 14 teams including Khyber PakhtunKawa (KPK), Punjab, Sindh, Baluchistan, Islamabad, Federally Administrated Tribal Areas (FATA), Gilgit Baltistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), Pakistan Army, WAPDA, Railway, Police, Navy and Higher Education Commission (HEC) will participate in the championships. Pakistan Army will defend their title. It is pertinent to mention that two overseas Pakistani Judokas have also arrived here to display their skills in this championship. Japan based Olympian Shah Hussain Shah, who is Asian bronze medalist, commonwealth games silver medalist South Asian triple gold medalist besides the current National champion will play to defend his title. He is the son of our National Pride Hussain Shah, Olympic bronze medalist. Shah had qualified for Rio 2016 and Tokyo 2020 and became ever first Pakistani Judoka to achieve this mark. He is also eyeing for Paris 2024. Another enthusiastic Japan based 22 year old young girl Amina Toyoda will be featuring for the National Event. Both Judokas will show their game skill on opening day of the championship on 31st Dec 2021 representing Pakistan Army. Secretary Sports and Tourism of KPK will grace the occasion as chief guest. The Championship of men will be held in 10 weights while the championship of women will be held in 8 different weight categories as per the details given below: Weight Categories: Men: -50 Kg-55 Kg, -60 Kg, -66 Kg, -73 Kg, -81 Kg, -90 Kg, -100 Kg ,+100 Kg & Open Weight. Women: -40 Kg,-44 Kg,-48 Kg, -52 Kg, -57 Kg, -63 Kg, -70 Kg & Open Weight

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-As the current year is coming to an end, I’d like to review the last 12 months of FIH and look at what global hockey has to offer in 2022, which promises to be a very exciting year for our sport! Of course, with 2021 being an Olympic year due to the postponement of the 32nd Olympiad because of the global impact of the COVID crisis, I’d like to repeat just how much of a success the Tokyo Olympic Games were. It was a true hockey festival for 2 weeks. The Japanese organisers and authorities, as well as the International Olympic Committee and the fantastic volunteers, have done an amazing job to put together a magnificent event, despite unique adverse conditions. My sincerest thanks to all of them! The FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup in Bhubaneswar, India, was another highlight of 2021. Thrilling matches played in a refreshingly care-free way by the rising stars of our game provided for an outstanding event, excellently organised by Hockey India. The tournament was brought to the world thanks to our Watch.Hockey app, which, in its second year of existence only, has already made a significant impact when it comes to the promotion of our sport worldwide. While, like you, I was also eagerly expecting the female Juniors to compete in South Africa, the outbreak of the Omicron variant forced us to take the heartbreaking decision to postpone this event. However, I can assure you that we will do everything in our power to ensure that this event DOES take place. We are fully aware of the competition’s importance for this generation of highly talented young players, who are very much the future of our game. Even though the FIH Hockey Pro League has also suffered due to the COVID pandemic, the second edition crowned two worthy winners in the Netherlands Women and Belgium Men. I’m also really happy for the development and globalization of hockey that South Africa and Canada will join the Men’s League next year, albeit for one season. All these events have played a significant role in strengthening the steadily increase of our audiences on our ever-growing FIH social media handles. Indeed, despite the global COVID pandemic, the cumulative number of followers on our Instagram, Facebook, YouTube and Twitter handles has increased by 30% in the last 3 years, including a rise of almost 70% for Instagram within this timeframe. Well done, Team FIH! Development is and will always remain at the core of our mission. With 2021 designated as the #HockeyInvites Year of the Youth, numerous programmes and activities were organised to boost the growth of hockey among the young population. Those came in addition to the 150 online courses organised by FIH throughout the year. I was very pleased to see at our Congress in May that the number of National Associations having introduced Hockey ID – also known as parahockey – had more than doubled in the last two years. Diversity and inclusion are two fundamental principles in hockey. Everyone is welcome and we all have a duty and responsibility to contribute to this! Gender equality is one of our strongest values and principles, and I’m very proud of the numerous webinars that FIH has held in this regard. The fact that researchers from the University of Lausanne have chosen FIH to conduct a study related to women’s participation in decision-making in sport is a truly positive sign.

Karachi (Sports Report):-The 67th meeting of the Board of Governors (BoG) of the Pakistan Cricket Board was held on Tuesday, 21 December in Karachi. Below are some of the key outcomes and updates from the last meeting of 2021: Cricket development plans In line with the PCB’s strategy of investing in youth and pathways cricket following a bottom-up approach, the BoG backed and supported the PCB Chairman’s two new initiatives, which are: ·         Pathway Junior Contracts – Through strategic partnerships, the PCB will award 100 contracts to the most outstanding and bright cricketers under the ages of 11, 14, 16 and 19. Under this programme, the talented young cricketers will receive a stipend of PKR 30,000 per month and also earn 100 per cent scholarship, which will provide them access to cost-free education at a leading local educational institution that, in turn, will help them become wholesome individuals. ·         Pathway Cricket Foundation – Again through a strategic partnership, the PCB will appoint highly qualified resident foreign coaches at the National High Performance Centre. These coaches will work very closely with 100 teenage cricketers to nurture and develop them and prepare them for future events, including the U19 PSL, which is marked for October 2022. These coaches will also be available to assist and help elite and emerging cricketers. All discussions and details on the above initiatives with the PCB’s strategic partners have taken place and further details will follow shortly. PCB Chairman Ramiz Raja: “In order to create a long-term sustainable process, it is essential that we continue to tap into, stimulate and motivate the youth’s passion and talent for cricket, whilst focusing on a bottom-up approach towards participation and making attempts to bridge the wide divide between pathways and Pakistan cricket journey. “We feel that our Junior Contracts and Cricket Foundation initiatives will now play a decisive role in ensuring that raw talent from even the remotest and less privileged of areas in Pakistan reaches its full potential. “Through these and various other initiatives, including an all-Pakistan Talent Hunt Programme, we aim to unearth the hidden talent and provide them absolute clarity at a very young age that the PCB will back, support and provide a clear pathway through which they can embark on their journey of representing Pakistan at an international stage.” Club scrutiny process and amendment to CA Model Constitution The BoG approved the club scrutiny procedure for 3,822 clubs, who took part in the First Registration of Cricket Clubs, across 90 City Cricket Associations in the first half of 2022. The club scrutiny procedure will be available on the PCB corporate website under Documents/PCB Model Constitutions next week. Furthermore, the BoG also approved amendment to Article 4.1(h) of the Model Constitution for Cricket Associations, which deals with Objects and Functions of the Cricket Association, now reads as: “…. coordinate cricket activities within their jurisdiction including but not limited to holding and organizing the tournaments, which may include divisional cricket, and endeavor to also organize or assist in organization of tournaments for clubs and schools …” Pakistan men’s cricket team performances Taking into consideration that a long and demanding international cricket period awaits the Pakistan men’s cricket team, an extensive discussion on the players’ workload handling took place. The BoG requested the PCB management to explore options and submit suggestions on how the elite cricketers can preserve their energies for Pakistan by remaining supremely fit, injury-free and fresh. The BoG appreciated the performance of the Pakistan men’s national cricket team and felt they came significantly close to meeting the expectations of their fans in the last quarter of 2021 through their grit, determination and positive attitude. The PCB Chairman highlighted Babar Azam’s authority, leadership and impact on the side as one of the turnaround factors. He also credited the calm influences of Saqlain Mushtaq (interim head coach), Matthew Hayden (batting consultant) and Vernon Philander (bowling consultant) as the other contributing factor as the trio were able to create a relaxed team environment that, in turn, allowed the team to excel, particularly during the ICC Men’s T20 World Cup 2021. Other updates: ·         West Indies will play three Twenty20 Internationals in the build up to the HBL Pakistan Super League 2023. The West Indies are already scheduled to play ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League ODIs in June 2022 to make up for the postponed December 2021 matches due to an increased number of Covid-19 cases in their side ·         The BoG approved in-principle the construction of 60 additional (international quality) player rooms each at the National High Performance Centre in Lahore and Hanif Mohammad High Performance Centre in Karachi. When completed, this will resolve the PCB’s challenges around logistics, security and road commuting, as well as setting-up and handling the Managed Event Environment ·         PCB Chairman, Acting Chief Executive Officer and the PCB BOG Committees submitted their reports, while the Chief Financial Officer presented his quarterly financial statements. Separately, there were presentations on fan engagement as well as on women’s cricket. Earlier, the BoG welcomed incoming PCB Chief Executive Faisal Hasnain, who attended the meeting as an observer and will formally start in Lahore around mid-January.

Torino (SB Report):-The International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) and the Chinese Mountaineering Association (CMA) announced the addition of a new IFSC World Cup event in 2022 that will feature the same Boulder and Lead format as that for the Olympic Games Paris 2024. The event, scheduled to take place in Chongqing, China from 6 to 9 October 2022, will be organised according to the rules of the Boulder & Lead format that were formally presented to all National Federations during a teleconference with IFSC President Marco Scolaris on 17 November 2021. The scoring system of the Paris 2024 format will be based on performance, with the final score of each athlete being the sum of the points collected in the two phases of the event. The maximum total score is 200 points, evenly distributed between Boulder and Lead. The main principles of the two phases are as follows: 1. Boulder scoring: The maximum score of the Boulder phase is 100; There will be four boulders in each round, all featuring two zones and one top; The maximum score of each problem is 25 points – athletes will earn 3 points by securing the first zone, then move to 6 points if they secure the second zone, and claim the full 25 points if they secure the top; 0.1 point will be deducted for each fall while attempting to top. 2. Lead scoring: The maximum score of the Lead phase is 100; There will be one Lead route per round, and only the final 30 moves of each route will award points; Counting back from the top of the route, the last 15 moves will earn the athlete 5 points each, the previous 10 moves will earn the athlete 2 points each, and the previous five moves will earn the athlete 1 point each; Any moves prior to the last 30 will earn the athlete 0 points. The rules were painstakingly developed over a 15-month period by a Working Group chaired by IFSC Vice President Kobinata Toru, that also included IFSC Vice President Wolfgang Wabel; IFSC Sport Director Silvia Verdolini; IFSC Event Officer Alessandro Di Cato; athletes, coaches, and officials representing several National Federations. The Boulder & Lead format will make its official debut at the European Championships Munich 2022. The full set of rules will be included in the 2022 version of the IFSC Rules.

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai (December 22, 2021):-Australia batter Marnus Labuschagne is now the number one batter in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings, surpassing England’s Joe Root who had been on top since August this year. In the second Test held in Adelaide, Marnus scored his first Ashes century and went on to be adjudged the 'Player of the Match' for his knocks of 103 and 51 contributing towards Australia's 275-run win over England. He is the ninth player from Australia to have crossed the 900-point mark with the bat, joining the elite league of gentlemen, Sir Don Bradman, Ricky Pointing, Mathew Hayden, Steve Smith, Michael Clarke etc. Within the bowlers, Mitchell Starc is back in the world’s top ten Test bowlers for the first time since this January. Whilst his compatriot Pat Cummins held onto the top spot despite missing the second Test. England’s Ollie Robinson is in the world’s top 25 bowlers for the first time at a career-best 597 points and Joe Root has made his first appearance in the world’s top 10 all-rounders after his 111th Test appearance. In the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s T20I Player Rankings there is a tie for top spot of batters between Pakistan’s Babar Azam and England’s Dawid Malan.  Mohammad Rizwan is now at a career-best 798 points and is the second Pakistani in the top three batter’s category. Nicholas Pooran was the bright spot for the West Indies in their 3-0 T20I series defeat against Pakistan.  His 108 runs at a strike rate of 147.94 took him up to 27th place, up from his previous career best of 30th.

Sports Bulletin Report Dhaka, Bangladesh (December 21, 2021):- South Korea and Japan have reached in the final of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021 after beating Pakistan 6-5 and India 5-3 respectively in the semifinals in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Tuesday. Final will be played on Wednesday at the same venue. Pakistan will meet India for the bronze medal match on Wednesday before the final match of Asian Hockey Champions Trophy. It is important to mention here that Japan and South Korea will play first time gold medal match in the top regional hockey showpiece. The Korean team, which is in a better position in the world rankings, got two penalty strokes against Pakistan on which they scored successfully while scoring three goals on penalty corners and solitary field goal. Pakistan scored a field goal with the help of captain Umar Bhatta. Korea responded with a penalty stroke in the 11th minute of the game, which their player Cheng scored to make it 1-1. In the 12th minute of the game Korea got another penalty stroke which Cheng scored to make the match 2-1. In the 22nd minute of the game Junaid Manzoor of Pakistan scored a goal to level the match 2-2. Korea in the 25th minute of the game with the help of Cheng, they took the lead by scoring a goal in the penalty corner. By scoring a goal, they gave their team the lead. Korea strengthened its lead by scoring again in the 44th minute of the game. Equalized the decisive goal of the match was scored by Korea in the 57th minute of the game. In the second semi-final of the event, Japan defeated India 5-3 in a hard-fought match to advance to the final. The final of the Asian Champions Trophy will be played between Japan and Korea on December 22, while the third position match between Pakistan and India will be played tomorrow at 2:30 PM Pakistan time. The final will be played at 5:00 pm Pakistan time.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Central Punjab opener Abid Ali complained of chest pain during his innings against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy final-round match at the UBL Sports Complex, Karachi today. Abid left the batting crease at 61 in Central Punjab’s second innings. Abid was taken immediately to a cardiac hospital where he was diagnosed as a case of Acute Coronary Syndrome. He is under the care of Consultant Cardiologist who is liaising with PCB medical team regarding further treatment. He is currently stable.

Karachi (Sports Report):-Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Central Punjab by 244 runs at the UBL Sports Complex Karachi in the final round match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy on Tuesday to set-up pink-ball five-day final against Northern at the National Stadium from 25 December. Right-arm fast Sameen Gul took three for 42 while Imran Khan Snr, Sajid Khan and Iftikhar Ahmed picked two wickets each as Central Punjab were dismissed for 250 after resuming this morning at 123 for no loss and chasing 495 for victory. The openers Abid Ali and Rizwan Hussain fought hard for Central Punjab. Abid scored 61 off 148 balls before retiring out. His partner Rizwan top-scored with 67 off 145, hitting 12 fours and one six. Hussain Talat coming to bat at number-five contributed a 132-ball 46, which included seven fours. At NBP Sports Complex, six wickets from leg-spinner Zahid Mahmood led Sindh to a 48-run win over Southern Punjab. The win didn’t help Sindh to qualify for the final as they finished on the third spot with 143 points. Chasing 232 to win, Southern Punjab were bowled out for 183 in the 55th over. Yousuf Babar, batting at number-five top-scored with a 124-ball 57, smashing six fours. Wicketkeeper-batter Azam Khan contributed 25 off 37 balls, which included three fours. Sindh’s Zahid picked six wickets f0r 101 and ended-up taking eight wickets in the match. Mohammad Asghar with his left-arm spin bagged three for 35. Earlier, resuming their second innings on 294 for seven, Sindh were bowled out for 306 in the 77th over. Ali Usman picked four wickets for 102. At the conclusion of tenth and final round matches of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Northern topped the table with 152 points and will face Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the final who finished on second spot with 150 points. Scores in brief: Sindh beat Southern Punjab by 48 runs at NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 310 all out, 96.5 overs (Saad Khan 88, Fawad Alam 85, Sarfaraz Ahmed 34 not out; Naseem Shah 4-46, Ali Usman 4-113) and 306 all out, 76.2 overs (Saad Khan 63, Saud Shakil 63, Khurram Manzoor 59; Ali Usman 4-102) Southern Punjab 385 all out, 94 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 108, Tayyab Tahir 69, Yousuf Babar 64, Azam Khan 48, Ali Usman 38 not out; Shahnawaz Dahani 3-61, Mohammad Asghar 2-72, Zahid Mehmood 2-153) and 183 all out, 55 overs (Yousuf Babar 57; Zahid Mahmood 6-101, Mohammad Asghar 3-35) Khyber Pakhtunkhwa beat Central Punjab by 244 runs at UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 355 all out, 95.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 76, Ashfaq Ahmed 71, Rehan Afridi 63 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Sajid Khan 51; Mohammad Ali 3-65, Faheem Ashraf 3-66) and 249-4 (decl), 67 overs (Fakhar Zaman 62, Iftikhar Ahmed 61 not out, Adil Amin 54 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 45; Bilawal Iqbal 3-45) Central Punjab 110 all out, 31.5 overs (Azhar Ali 43, Zafar Gohar 22 not out; Sameen Gul 3-30, Imran Khan Snr 3-42) and 250 all out, 101.5 overs (Rizwan Hussain 67, Abid Ali 61 retired out, Hussain Talat 46; Sameen Gul 3-42, Iftikhar Ahmed 2-18, Imran Khan Snr 2-31, Sajid Khan 2-63)

Karachi (Sports Report):-A maiden first-class triple-century by Mohammad Huraira and six wickets from Mubasir Khan lead Northern to an innings and 170 runs win over Balochistan on day three of the final round match of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy at the State Bank of Pakistan Stadium on Monday. The match was being live-streamed on PCB’s YouTube channel. Resuming their innings at the overnight score 0f 449 for two, Northern declared their innings on 631 for four in 124 overs. Huraira who resumed his batting on 243 continued to play shots all across the ground and brought up his first triple-century in the 113th over of the innings. The 19-year old right-handed batter struck 40 fours and four sixes during his innings of 311 off 343 balls faced and also became the second youngest Pakistan batter to score a first-class triple century. In reply, Balochistan trailing by 316 runs were bowled out for 146 in the 35th over handing Northern a comprehensive an innings and 170-run win over the former. For Balochistan only three players managed to enter into double figures with opening batter Imran Butt top-scoring with a 101-ball 81, hitting 13 fours. Northern’s off-spinner Mubasir grabbed six wickets for 49 in 10.4 overs, while right-arm fast Musa picked two wickets for 60. The win over Balochistan confirms Northern place in the pink-ball final scheduled to take place at National Stadium Karachi from 25-29 December. At UBL Sports Complex, chasing 495 to win, Central Punjab were 123 for no loss in 43 overs against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa when stumps were drawn. Abid Ali (49, eight fours, 121b) and Rizwan Hussain (66, 12 fours, one six, 141b) will resume their batting tomorrow. Earlier, resuming their second innings on 89 for no loss, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa declared their innings on 249 for four in 67 overs. Left-handed opening batter Fakhar Zaman top-scored with a 102-ball 62, which included 12 fours and one six. Captain Iftikhar Ahmed scored an unbeaten 61 off 82 balls, hitting seven fours. Adil Amin coming to bat at number-six returned undefeated on a 78-ball 54, which included three fours. The pair stitched a 114-run unbroken partnership for the fifth wicket. For Central Punjab, Bilawal Iqbal picked three wickets for 45. At NBP Sports Complex, Sindh were leading by 219 with three second innings wickets in hand against Southern Punjab at the close of play. Left-handed batter Saad Khan returned undefeated on 63, while Saud Shakeel (63, seven fours, 113b) and Khurram Manzoor (59, 10 fours, 73b) were other significant contributors with the bat. For Southern Punjab, Ali Usman grabbed three wickets for 92. Earlier, resuming their first innings at the overnight score of 333 for six, Southern Punjab were dismissed for 385 in the 94th over with a 75-run first innings lead. The right-handed Ali scored an unbeaten 38 off 83 balls. For Sindh, right-arm fast Shahnawaz Dahani picked three wickets for 61 in 17 overs, while spinners Mohammad Asghar and Zahid Mahmood bagged two wickets apiece. Scores in brief: Northern beat Balochistan by an innings and 170 runs at State Bank of Pakistan Stadium, Karachi Balochistan 305 all out, 59.1 overs (Shan Masood 190, Kashif Bhatti 68; Kashif Ali 4-49, Athar Mehmood 4-100) and 146-9, 34.4 overs (Imran Butt 81, Imam-ul-Haq 31; Mubasir Khan 6-43) Northern 631-4 (decl), 124 overs (Mohammad Huraira 311, Sarmad Bhatti 135, Umer Amin 51; Akif Javed 2-105) Points so far: Balochistan 3; Northern 25 Sindh vs Southern Punjab - NBP Sports Complex, Karachi Sindh 310 all out, 96.5 overs (Saad Khan 88, Fawad Alam 85, Sarfaraz Ahmed 34 not out; Naseem Shah 4-46, Ali Usman 4-113) and 294-7, 70 overs (Saad Khan 63 not out, Saud Shakil 63, Khurram Manzoor 59; Ali Usman 3-92) Southern Punjab 385 all out, 94 overs (Zeeshan Ashraf 108, Tayyab Tahir 69, Yousuf Babar 64, Azam Khan 48, Ali Usman 38 not out; Shahnawaz Dahani 3-61, Mohammad Asghar 2-72, Zahid Mehmood 2-153) Points so far: Sindh 6; Southern Punjab 7 Khyber Pakhtunkhwa vs Central Punjab – UBL Sports Complex, Karachi Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 355 all out, 95.3 overs (Fakhar Zaman 76, Ashfaq Ahmed 71, Rehan Afridi 63 not out, Iftikhar Ahmed 53, Sajid Khan 51; Mohammad Ali 3-65, Faheem Ashraf 3-66) and 249-4 (decl), 67 overs (Fakhar Zaman 62, Iftikhar Ahmed 61 not out, Adil Amin 54 not out, Sahibzada Farhan 45; Bilawal Iqbal 3-45) Central Punjab 110 all out, 31.5 overs (Azhar Ali 43, Zafar Gohar 22 not out; Sameen Gul 3-30, Imran Khan Snr 3-42) and 123-0, 43 overs (Rizwan Hussain 66 not out, Abid Ali 49 not out) Points so far: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-Pakistan will take on South Korea in the first semifinal of the 6th Asian Hockey Champions Trophy (AHCT) 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh: the match will start at 2:30 pm according to Pakistan Standard Times. The second semi-final will be played between India and Japan. The semi-finals of the sixth edition of the Asian Champions Trophy under the auspices of the Asian Hockey Federation will be played on December 21 in Dhaka, Bangladesh. The first semi-final will be played between Pakistan and Korea at 2:30 pm (Pakistan time) while the second semi-final will be played between India and Japan at 5:00 pm Pakistan time. The teams of Pakistan and India are the defending champions of this mega event and both the teams have won the title of three times.