Sports Report LAHORE (December 25, 2021):-Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan inaugurated the 57th National Table Tennis Championship at Nishtar Park Sports Complex Gymnasium Hall on Saturday. Secretary Pakistan Table Tennis Federation Ahmer Malik, Secretary Punjab Olympic Association Idris Haider Khwaja, President Punjab Table Tennis Association Irfan Ullah Khan, Chief Sports Consultant SBP Hafeez Bhatti were also present on this occasion. A large number of young male and female table tennis players and sports enthusiasts also attended the colourful opening ceremony. Male and female artistes presented attractive cultural and regional dances and performances to entertain the large crowd. Talking to media Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan said Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab is fully supporting this national championship. “The promotion of sports culture across the province is our prime objective and that’s why we always extended every kind of assistance for the holding of multiple sports events in all parts of Punjab”. Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan further said Punjab province has plenty of sports talent and Sports Board Punjab is striving hard to provide sufficient playing opportunities to talented male and female players by holding maximum number of sports events across the province. In his media talk, Secretary Pakistan Table Tennis Federation Ahmer Malik informed that it’s the biggest ever National Table Tennis Championship of the country in which over 200 players from 14 teams are participating. He also thanked Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan for extending excellent support and facilities for the holding of National Table Tennis Championship at Nishtar Park Sports Complex Gymnasium Hall.            

Aamir Ali Janjua Dubai, UEA (December 25, 2021):-Pakistan Under-19 cricket team defeated India Under-19 cricket team by 2 wickets in a thrilling match in ACC Men's Under-19 Asia Cup. Mohammad Shehzad scored 81 runs and judged man of the match while Zeeshan Zameer took 5 wickets. Pakistan U-19 needed 2 runs on the last ball of the match to win that Ahmed Khan hit a four to lead the team to victory. He played an unbeaten innings of 29 off 19 balls with the help of 3 fours and a six.  Pakistan U-19 cricket team achieved the target of 238 runs on the last ball of the match at a loss of 8 wickets. Mohammad Shehzad of Pakistan made 81 off 105 balls with 5 sixes and 4 fours. Mohammad Irfan Niazi 32 and Rizwan Mahmood 29 runs were out. India's Raj Nad Bawa took four wickets. Earlier, thanks to the excellent bowling of fast bowler Zeeshan Zameer, India U-19 cricket team was bowled out for 237 runs in 49 overs. Zeeshan Zameer guided 5 players to the pavilion for 60 runs. Owais Ali took 2 wickets while Moaz Sadaqat and Qasim Akram took one wicket each. India Under-19 cricket team's wicket keeper Better Aradhya Yadav scored 50 and Harnoor Pinnu scored 46 runs.

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 25, 2021):-Pakistan number one tennis player Aqeel Khan and upcoming lad Mohammad Shoaib set their clash in the final of the Men’s Single event of the 6th Serena Hotels National Ranking Tennis Tournament 2021 after winning the semifinals at SDA-PTF Tennis Complex garden Avenue on Saturday. Final will be played on Sunday at the same venue in the morning. On Saturday in the first semifinal of the Men’s Singles, Mohammad Shoaib defeated Muzammil Murtaza in straight sets 2-0 with the score line of 6-3 and 6-3, revenged his last defeat from the hands of Muzzamil in the final of Benazir Bhutto Shaheed National Tennis Championship last Sunday at Islamabad Tennis Complex G-6, by playing excellent game and did not show any leniency during the whole match. It is pertinent to mention here that Mohammad Shoaib had overcome Aqeel Khan in the semifinal of the same championship 2-1. Later, in the second semifinal, Aqeel Khan got rid of Mohammad Abid 2-0, as the winner guy had to toil hard in the first set to overcome his rival. The final score-line was 7-6(5) and 6-2. Top seed Aqeel Khan saved 2 set points in the first set before beating Mohammad Abid at score of 7-6(5) and 6-2. Results: Men's Singles (Semi-Finals): Mohammad Shoaib beat Muzammil Murtaza 6-3, 6-3 Aqeel Khan beat Mohammad Abid 7-6(5), 6-2 Boys’ Under-18 Singles (Semi-Finals) Hasheesh Kumar beat Hamid Israr 6-3, 6-1 Abdullah Adnan beat Mahatir Mohammad 6-1, 4-6, 6-4 Men's Doubles (Semi-Finals): Aisam ul Haq  / Aqeel Khan beat Ahmed Chaudhary / Waqas Malik 7-6(3), 6-1 Muzammil Murtaza / Mohammad Abid bt Yousaf Khalil / Heera Ashiq 3-6, 6-4(10-6) Sunday’s Fixtures: Boys’ Under-18 Singles Final: 10:00 am Ladies Singles Final: 10:00 am Men's Singles Final: 10:00 am

Islamabad (Sports Desk):-We all have seen Yuvraj Singh's impeccable cricket as he hits balls off the ground with unmatchable sixes. But for the first time, the cricketer has been seen traveling in space. Well, sort of. For the first time, Colexion, Asia's biggest NFT marketplace, stepped ahead to push boundaries in space and launched satellite NFTs carrying prized possessions of the legendary India cricketer Yuvraj Singh in the metaverse last week. Colexion partnered with the 2011 ODI World Cup-winning batsman Yuvraj to release his own NFTs with augmented reality for this ground-breaking initiative. A hot-air balloon was launched from earth to orbit carried Yuvraj Singh's iconic bat, which he used to register his first-ever century in the 2003 ODI match against Bangladesh in Dhaka. Moreover, a never-before-released personalized video of Yuvraj Singh bat's entire space journey will be made accessible for fans, as it becomes the first minted NFT ever to be sent in orbit. The video will be uploaded on Colexion's official website in the last week of December. While speaking about his journey to space, Yuvraj, who is also an investor in Colexion, says, “I am excited to share my first NFT space journey exclusively on Colexion. Connecting with my fans on a new platform like this is exciting and I look forward to share some of my most cherished possessions like the first century bat.”  “I have always wanted to be closer to my fans and I am happy to partner with Colexion to be able to share these precious tokens from my cricketing journey with the people who have loved and encouraged me every step of the way. I look forward to engage with them in my Colexion digital avatar," he added, signing off from space. After this, Yuvraj will drop his first NFT that will be live on 25th December 2021. The NFT will contain a 3D version of the cricketer along with his signed 1st-century bat to be made available for his beloved fans. Furthermore, Colexion is creating a one-of-its-kind Virtual NFT Museum for all the NFTs of Yuvraj where his fans can be a part of his life's journey. Further, the cricketer's signed merchandise will be offered as giveaways on the platform as NFTs. Speaking about the initiative, Founder Abhay says, "We'll launch an autographed cricket bat along with a 3D statue of the cricketer, providing an exclusive opportunity to fans to own his digital collectibles. Colexion enables fans to witness this historic event and become a part of this massive revolution. We are creating interesting digital spaces for him to engage with his fans who will also be now able to 'own' special moments of his career." Through this historic initiative, Colexion aims to establish its footprint by becoming the first-ever NFT marketplace to launch exclusive NFT in space through high-end technology and innovation. NFT stands for non-fungible tokens- one-of-a-kind, blockchain-based assets that live on the blockchain and have become a blossoming business in the art world, with some selling recently for millions of dollars. Colexion is a platform that allows fans to buy, trade, and sell unique digital collectibles in the form of non-fungible tokens (NFTs). An NFT is a form of crypto asset which uses blockchain to record the ownership status of digital objects, such as images, videos, and text. And Colexion through unique trump cards enables fans to own NFTs of their favorite player or celebrity. Interestingly, sports NFTs are quite the buzz— today's card collectors have shifted their attention to sports NFTs that offer proof of unique ownership of a video, photo, or other digital capture of an important moment in sports history. Earlier, Colexion has launched the world's largest NFT drop of 30 celebrities in the form of trump cards, including music composer duo Salim-Sulaiman, cricketers Varun Chakravarthy and Dwayne Bravo, and Bollywood and TV stars Tanuj Virwani and Aamir Ali, among others. Launched by Colexion, interactive trump cards contain photos and models in 3D and 2D formats of the celebrities.

Karachi (Sports Report):-The five-day Quaid-e-Azam Trophy 2021-22 pink-ball, day-night final has started between Northern and the joint-defending champions Khyber Pakhtunkhwa at the National Stadium, Karachi from Saturday. The National Stadium staged the dramatic finale of the previous season between Central Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which ended in a tie. Another absorbing final between two balanced and well matched sides is expected from Saturday. Northern topped the table with 152 points from 10 matches (four wins, four draws, two defeats). Khyber Pakhtunkhwa sealed the second spot with a tally of 150 points from their 10 games (four wins, five draws, one defeat). Sindh who were on top of the points table leading into the last two rounds, lost their way at the end and despite winning their 10th and final fixture against Southern Punjab finished with 143 points (four wins, five draws, one defeat). Northern captain Nauman Ali: “We have peaked at the right time and due to an all-round effort secured a spot in the final. I have been hugely impressed by the fight shown by our young players in the final few rounds which resulted in us topping the table. The pink-ball final though will be a different challenge for players from both sides with conditions expected to change especially under the lights. “However, I am confident that we possess the skills and the depth in our squad to compete at our best against a formidable side like Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” Khyber Pakhtunkhwa captain Iftikhar Ahmed: “This year’s tournament has proven to be as competitive as the previous two editions in the revamped domestic system. I am really pleased about our performances and how we have managed to secure a place in the final despite stiff competition. Our batters and bowlers have done admirably and raised the level of their game especially in the Karachi-leg which has produced results in almost every game. “The pink-ball under the lights will be a big challenge for both sides and it in a way even things out. It is a bit of an unknown for both set of players so I feel the first two days will be crucial for both teams as they will seek to gain early advantage. I have full confidence in my players and I think they will rise up to the challenge as we seek our fifth consecutive domestic title across the three formats.” Prize money: Winner - PKR 10,000,000 Runner Up - PKR 5,000,000 Best Batter - PKR 500,000 Best Bowler - PKR 500,000 Best Wicketkeeper - PKR 500,000 Player of the Tournament - PKR 500,000 Player of the final - PKR 50,000 Match officials: On-field umpires: Asif Yaqoob and Faisal Afridi TV umpire: Rashid Riaz Reserve umpire: Imtiaz Iqbal Match Referee: Nadeem Arshad

Abdul Jabbar Faisal ISLAMABAD (December 25, 2021):-Islamabad Table Tennis Association (ITTA) has named male and female teams for upcoming 57th National Table Tennis Championship that will be held in Lahore after conducting trials. According to an official of ITTA, around 30 men from capital city and 16 women participated in the trials.The selection committee was consisted of Masood Rabbani, Mohammad Farooq, Raza Rafiq and Naeem Shaukat. The selected five men and five women players will represent Islamabad in the upcoming 57th National Table Tennis Championship, which will be taken place in Lahore. At this occasion, president, ITTA SM Rashid Qadri wished good luck to all the players and said to enter in the field with the spirit of victory. Rashid Qadri also distributed the shirt and track suit among the selected players. Names of selected men: 1: Abdullah Naeem 2: Mohammad Danish Tanveer 3: Mohammad Omar Saeed Ibrahim 4: Bilal Khan 5: Nabil Ahmed Names of selected women: 1: Rahnail Satti 2: Isha Khan 3: Laiba Khan 4: Insha Afridi 5: Iqra Asghar

Ali Ahmed LAHORE (December 24, 2021):-Pakistan Air Force (PAF) defeated WAPDA 3-1 with a score of 25-11, 21-25, 25-19 and 25-21  in the thrilling title clash of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Volleyball Tournament at Gymnasium Hall Divisional Sports Complex, Dera Ghazi Khan on Friday. The 3rd position went to Khyber Pakhtunkhwa who trounced South Punjab by 3-0 with the score of 25-18, 25-19, 31-29 in the 3rd/4th position match. Minister of State for Climate Change ZartajGul was the chief guest at the final match. She also witnessed the exciting final match and appreciated the game skills of both the teams. Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab on Health Hanif Pitafi, Deputy Commissioner DG Khan Zeeshan Javed, Assistant Commissioner Mohammad Nabeel, Additional Deputy Commissioner Revenue Ahmed Hasan Ranjha, CEO Secondary Education Sirajud Din, Director Sports Nadeem Qaiser, Divisional Sports Officer DG Khan Atta ur Rehman, Assistant Director Raees ur Rehman, Sardar Khan Senior Vice-President PVA and Secretary Punjab Volleyball Association (PVA) MB Javed were also present on this occasion. Speaking on this occasion, Minister of State for Climate Change ZartajGul congratulated the organizers for holding the Mir Chakar Azam Rind Volleyball Tournament in a successful manner. She thanked all the participating teams and officials and said that definitely it is a historic occasion for South Punjab to host such a big sports event. Minister of State for Climate Change Zartaj Gul Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games are being organized in this part of the province in accordance with the vision of Prime Minister Imran Khan. “I’m quite confident that South Punjab will gain several potential young players of volleyball, hockey and wrestling after the completion of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games,” she added. Punjab Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Rai Taimoor Khan Bhatti congratulated Pakistan Air Force (PAF) for winning the coveted title of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Volleyball Tournament. A large number of sports lovers including hundreds of students from various schools and colleges were also present at the venue to cheer the participating teams. They also enjoyed the exciting volleyball matches of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games Volleyball Tournament being organized under the auspices of Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab. Meanwhile, a hockey match will be played at DG Khan on December 25, 2021 (Saturday) as part of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games.  

Bipin Dani There will be no live radio commentary in South Africa for the upcoming Test series against India.   This was revealed by the (South African Broadcasting Corporation) SABC’s Group Executive for Corporate Affairs and Marketing, Ms. Gugu Ntuli. Speaking exclusively, she says, “The SABC can confirm that there will be no live radio commentary for the Protea Inbound Tour matches, therefore no commentators are appointed in this regard". "However, a provision for three live updates of three to five minutes long every hour on Radio 2000 has been made for these matches and the station will also stream full live commentary on its website www.radio2000.co.za”. Incidentally, the CSA (Cricket South Africa) board did make an appeal to the authorities so that through the radio broadcast, fans can rally behind the Proteas as they take on India in an historic encounter, which also marks the 30th Anniversary of  friendship between CSA and the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI). Owing to the current pandemic situations in South Africa, the fans are not allowed at the grounds to witness the Tests. It is worth highlighting that many thousands of blind cricket fans are totally reliant on radio commentary to enjoy their favorite sport. This will deprive those fans of their enjoyment of the game. First of the three Tests will begin on Boxing Day at Centurion.

Sports Report LAHORE (December 23, 2021):-Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Pakistan WAPDA stormed into the final of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Volleyball Tournament after winning their respective semifinals comprehensively on the third day of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games Volleyball Tournament at Gymnasium Hall Divisional Sports Complex, Dera Ghazi Khan on Thursday. Divisional Sports Officer DG Khan Atta ur Rehman, District Education Officer Sirajud Din, Director DGPR Raheem Talib, Deputy Director DGPR Junaid Jatoi, Assistant Director Raees-ur-Rehman, several officers of different departments and other prominent personalities of the region were also present on this occasion. Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan in his greeting message on Thursday congratulated Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and WAPDA teams for booking a place in the final of the grand event. “The teams of PAF and WAPDA exhibited wonderful performance in their respective semifinals and did not allow their opponents to settle down in any stage of their matches,” he added. Director General Sports Punjab Javed Chohan expressed the hope that sports lovers of South Punjab will witness thrilling encounter between two best teams of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games Volleyball Tournament. A large number of male and female students of different schools and colleges also watched the exciting volleyball matches of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games Volleyball Tournament being organized under the auspices of Sports and Youth Affairs Department Punjab.   The 3rd/4th position match will be played between South Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa teams in the morning followed by title clash between Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and Wapda teams. In the first semifinal match, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) thrashed South Punjab by a big margin of 3-0 and with a score of 25-15, 25-23 and 28-26. PAF won the first set quite comfortably but South Punjab players revived their confidence and offered a strong resistance in the second and third sets but unfortunately they could not change the fate of the match. The second semifinal match was played between Wapda and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) 3-0. Wapda dominated the proceedings right from the beginning and won the match by a score of 25-13, 25-22 and 25-17. Though Khyber Pakhtunkhwa lost the match by 3-0 but they managed to give tough time to their strong opponents in the second set.  

Lausanne, Switzerland (SB Report):-Despite all the challenges connected with the COVID-19 global health pandemic, 2021 was still an incredible year for the sport of Hockey, a year which deserves to be celebrated like any other. With some truly extraordinary moments taking place at the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020, FIH Hockey Pro League and a Men’s Junior World Cup, restricting our categories to just ten nominees for the Best Goal and the Best Match of 2021 was far from simple. Nominees – Favourite Goal of 2021 1: Nicolas Keenan (ARG). Argentina Men v Japan (Pool phase) – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: A stunning run and overhead smash-shot from the top of the circle slams the backboard. 2: Timm Herzbruch (GER). Germany Men v Argentina (Quarter-Final) – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: An outrageously intricate penalty corner routine from Die Honamas, bewildering the Argentine defence for Herzbruch to deflect home. 3: Agustina Albertarrio (ARG). Argentina Women v Germany (Quarter-Final) – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: A brilliantly worked passing move is finished off by Albertarrio, who touches home from close range.  4: Tim Brand (AUS). Australia Men v Germany (Semi-Final) – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Kookaburras superstar Brand volleys home a vicious cross-shot from Ogilvie, who was picked out in the circle by a glorious overhead pass that eliminated the Germany defenders. (3 August) 5: Berta Bonastre (ESP). Spain Women v Great Britain (Quarter-Final) – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Pouncing from close range, Bonastre takes two magnificent touches to lift the ball over the head of Maddie Hinch and into the GB goal. 6: Dayaan Cassiem (RSA). South Africa Men v Belgium (Pool phase) – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Incredible solo effort against the World and eventual Olympic champions, running half the length of the field in possession before flicking past the shoulder of goalkeeper Vincent Vanasch. 7: Lidewij Welten (NED). Netherlands Women v Germany (Pool phase) – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: A fine passing move carves through the Germany team before Welten taps home from close range. 8: Kenta Tanaka (JPN). Japan Men v New Zealand (Pool phase) – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Pacey Samurais attacker Tanaka runs three quarters of the lengths of the field in possession before sensationally firing home. 9: Hollie Pearne-Webb (GBR). Great Britain Women v India (Bronze) – Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: A rare field goal from GB’s captain, smashing home a superb first-time volley to put her team on course for the bronze medal. 10: Stacey Michelsen (NZL) New Zealand Women v Australia - FIH Hockey Pro League: A superb solo goal from the Black Sticks legend, cutting in from the right before crashing a stunning backhand strike inside the right post. Nominees – Favourite Match of 2021 1: Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Men’s Pool B – South Africa 4-3 Germany 2: Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Women’s Quarter-Final – Germany 0-3 Argentina 3: Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Women’s Quarter-Final – Australia 0-1 India 4: Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Men’s Bronze Medal – Germany 4-5 India 5: Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Women’s Bronze Medal – Great Britain 4-3 India 6: Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Men’s Gold Medal – Australia 1-1 Belgium (2-3 ASO) 7: Olympic Games Tokyo 2020: Women’s Gold Medal – Netherlands 3-1 Argentina 8: FIH Hockey Pro League: Men – Netherlands 2-4 Germany 9: FIH Hockey Pro League: Women – Argentina 1-3 Germany 10: FIH Odisha Hockey Men’s Junior World Cup Bhubaneswar 2021: Pool phase – France 4-3 India