ABDUL JABBAR FAISAL ISLAMABAD (June 1, 2021):-Umair Saleem has won the title of 1st Night Golf Tournament that was organized by AAA Associates organized in collaboration with Garden City Golf and Country Club, Bahria Town. The event was attended by the notables from Military and different segments of the society. Among Participants are some well-known personalities like Ex-COAS Ashfaq Parvez Kiani (R), Gen Zahirul Islam (R), Gen Hilal (R), Air Marshal Asim Zaheer (R)Ex VCAS PAF, Chairman AAA Associates Mr. Sheikh Fawad Bashir, MD Lt.Col Shahzad Ali kiani (R) and Maj Gen Guftar Shah (R) also graced the event with their esteemed presence. Around 100 local residence and players participated in this night Tournament with display of magnificent lighting array make the event more attractive. AAA Associate has plan to organized similar Night Golf tournament in other cities of Pakistan to encourage this sport among local community. Golf is considered an expensive game and associated with elite section of our society. AAA Associates organized this match to put an end to this stereotype by promoting Golf sports among Middleclass community of the twin cities. They offered participants with discounted membership of the Club and inexpensive Golf Kits to encourage local community to take active part in this healthy game. After a fierce competition, the golfers with top 3 score were awarded with shields and prizes. In female category, Amna Kiani scores 42 to become Gross winner and followed by 2nd position secured by Saeeda Akhtar and Manaza with third position in the row. In men’s Gross category, Umair Saleem scored 39 to secured first position followed by Aslam Raja and Shoaib-ud-din both scored 37 holes each. Top three Net scores are Zubair Shah 38, Maj Abid and Maj General Suleman score 33 each. Chairman AAA Associates Sheikh Fawad Bashir and MD Lt. Col Shahzad Ali Kiani (R) distributed the prizes among the winners. On this occasion Chairman AAA Associate Sheikh Fawad Bashir said that AAA Associate took pride in organizing First Night Golf tournament of twin cities with the aim to bring out best talent from our local community to be recognized at National level. “We are committed to make this sport accessible for every section of society to end this perception of up-class game. Similarly in our Business niche, we are striving to revolutionize existing business model by implementing innovative practices to break stereotypes of associating big businesses with rich community, “he added. MD AAA associate Lt.Col Shahzad Ali Kiani (R) also said ‘  We encourage sports in all form as essential part of our business model to engage our internal and external stakeholder in healthy activity. AAA Associate always supports local Organization and community in organizing sport related activities. We’ll continue to offer our support for sport related activity that involve local community engagement at large level”. AAA Associate has been active in supporting various sport activity in the twin city which involves organizing Cricket, Football and other sports tournament that play vital role in encouraging local talent and promoting Healthy environment in the community.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (May 22, 2021):-A comprehensive 5-1 victory over the USA means Great Britain have moved to fifth in the FIH Hockey Pro League with a 51 per cent win rate. The USA remained in ninth position, with one match left to play [against Great Britain]. Great Britain women started strongly as they sought to impose themselves early on an USA team still smarting from their double defeat at the hands of Belgium the previous weekend. A driving run by Lily Owsley in the opening minute won her team a penalty corner but Kelsey Bing, in the USA goal, was alert to the danger. The next 14 minutes followed a similar pattern, with the Great Britain midfield and attackers probing and pushing for a breakthrough. That breakthrough eventually came in the 15th minute. The USA gave away possession in the centre of the pitch to Lily Owsley. She slipped an unselfish pass to Isabelle Petter, who shot home past Bing. Prior to that, there had been some promising signs for the Great Britain team that players were finding their connections as Susannah Townsend, Sarah Jones and Owsley all combined well to create a number of chances. Despite some spirited defending and some strong individual runs from the hard-working USA players, it was Great Britain who scored the second goal. It was Petter again who found the back of the net. It was a goal that had been coming: the Great Britain midfield were finding their connections with increasing regularity and creating all sorts of problems for their opponents. Petter’s second goal came from a penalty corner – Grace Balsdon’s strike was deflected by the midfielder past Bing. In the second half, Great Britain began to turn the screw on their opponents, pressuring the goal and forcing the USA deeper into their defensive half. The pressure was rewarded when a pass from Player of the Match Fiona Crackles found Sarah Robertson, who was able to slot the ball home. The fourth goal came from a penalty corner strike by Anna Toman. The initial shot was helped on its way by the outstretched stick of Nicole Woods. The fifth goal came as the space opened up across the pitch as the USA went in search of a goal. Great Britain were able to take advantage of the gaps and Elena Rayer was on hand to shoot home after good build up play by Laura Unsworth and Sarah Jones. The USA scored a consolation goal when Kelsey Briddell flicked the ball high past Hinch after a penalty corner shot rebounded freely into the circle. While Great Britain will be pleased with the result, the fact that they had 23 shots, 10 penalty corners and 46 circle entries will be of concern to the Head Coach and his team. Speaking at half time, Head Coach Mark Hager had called on his players to make the most of the opportunities they were creating. Player of the Match Fiona Crackles said: “We are just super happy to get so many goals. Normally we have a lot of near misses. We had real fire in our belly. We have been working hard on being ruthless. "It's great seeing things that we are doing in training coming together in the matchplay." Captain of the USA, Amanda Magadan: "Great Britain put out a good hockey performance but we gave a few things to them as well. It is good to be able to put the ball in the back of the net. "Just being able to build on our game from Belgium. We need to take away the positives but also take the harder feedback to. Great Britain are one of the best in the world, so that is who we want to play."

SPORTS REPORT Lausanne, Switzerland (May 22, 2021):-The 47th FIH Congress session, where hundreds of delegates from all over the world gathered in virtual forum to discuss important matters regarding the global status and development of hockey, has ended with various crucial decisions. In the closest of votes, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra of India was re-elected as President of the FIH, being awarded a second four-year term. Of the 124 votes submitted by member National Associations, Dr Batra attained the required absolute majority of more than half the votes, receiving 63 votes to the 61 given to Marc Coudron of Belgium. Dr Batra will hold the position until 2024. “I would personally like to thank all of the National Associations for showing faith in me by electing me for a second term as President of FIH”, said Dr Batra, who congratulated Marc Coudron on his campaign. “I pledge my assurance to you all that I will work towards my election priorities over the next three years.” In addition to Dr Batra’s re-election, Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy were both re-elected to the FIH Executive Board as women’s members. Danae Andrada Barrios and Hazel Kennedy received 70 and 66 votes respectively, just ahead of Inez Cooper who received 63 votes. Tayyab Ikram and Erik Cornelissen were re-elected unopposed to the FIH Executive Board as men’s members. In the President’s Report to Congress, Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra detailed the efforts made by the FIH since the previous 46th FIH Congress that took place in New Delhi, India in 2018, referring to the launch of various new events including the FIH Hockey Pro League, FIH Nations Cup and FIH Hockey5s World Cup as well as the approval of the eight-year global hockey calendar. Dr Batra also talked about the progress made in terms of development, promotion – in particular the success of the Watch.Hockey app -, governance and sustainability, referencing the commitment to develop a water-less turf for hockey in the years ahead.    In his report, FIH Chief Executive Officer Thierry Weil highlighted the 225 courses that had been organised by the FIH Academy over the past year and the 50 projects completed through the Olympic Solidarity scheme. With 2 million USD invested, development remains top priority for the world governing body. Additionally, the State of the Game survey revealed that global participation had risen from 29.6 million to 30.1 million, with fantastic growth being achieved in ParaHockey / Hockey ID, where participation has doubled thanks to support from the Continental Federations (CFs) and National Associations (NAs) The significance of the FIH Hockey Pro League and Hockey5s were also raised, with Thierry Weil stating that the former is well on its way to fulfilling its mission to promote hockey worldwide despite the challenges of the COVID-19 global health pandemic, while the latter will mark itself as a wonderful ‘entry gate’ to the sport that will serve to complement – not replace – the 11-a-side and indoor formats. The rise of E-sports and gaming was also flagged by the FIH CEO as an area for potential expansion in the future. The FIH Financial Report was also submitted to Congress and subsequently approved. The significant investment made into the launch of the FIH Hockey Pro League resulted a loss of 1.5million CHF for the 2019 edition, with 2020 breaking even. Due to signed contracts in place, both the 2021 and 2022 editions of the FIH Hockey Pro League are set to achieve profitability. Signed contracts for the next Women’s and Men’s FIH Hockey World Cup events in 2022 (Women – Spain & The Netherlands) and 2023 (Men - India) are set to generate around 7million CHF in profit for FIH. The financial statements for 2018-2019 were prepared by auditor Ernst & Young, which was re-appointed by Congress for the coming period, and circulated to all NAs and CFs ahead of Congress. The Congress approved applications for membership from three National Associations, with Timor Leste Hockey Federation, Hockey Association of Gambia and Saudi Arabian Hockey Federation all being accepted after the Executive Board expressed its satisfaction that their applications met the requirements of the Statutes. Congress approval means that the number of Member Associations of the FIH has risen to 140. A vote on the admission as FIH Member of a new National Association in Indonesia, which is recognised by the Indonesian NOC, was unable to proceed as Congress did not ratify the decision to expel the current National Association, which had not fulfilled their obligations. The Congress ratified some amendments to the FIH Statutes, including the use of gender-neutral terms throughout the Statutes themselves, as recommended by the Women in Sports Committee’s review of the FIH Gender Equality Policy. In anticipation of future virtual competitions or activities, E-Games were also added to the Statutes in order to extend FIH’s purpose and powers. The subscription system to the FIH, which remains unchanged to previous years, was also ratified by Congress. In line with the existing FIH Statutes, the appointment of George Bennett as the President of the FIH Judicial Commission – a group of legal advisors that acts as mediator in FIH legal matters – was ratified by Congress. George Bennett has held the position since 8 May 2020, taking over the role following the sad passing of previous incumbent Annabel Pennefather, one of many whose memory was honoured by a moment of silence at the start of session. While the vast majority of the FIH Award winners were revealed on Friday, the FIH President’s Awards – which are given to individuals for long and valuable services to hockey, whether direct or indirect – were saved for the Congress session itself, with 10 awardees being revealed. Pawan Munjal: Joined Hero Honda Motors in the early 1980s and took over as Managing Director of Hero Honda Motors in 2001, successfully overseeing the company's transition from Hero Honda to Hero Motocorp in 2011. Francesco Ricci Bitti: An Italian sports administrator and former President of the International Tennis Federation, Francesco Ricci Bitti was a member of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations Council and is the current President of the Association of Summer Olympic International Federations. Maureen Craig-Rousseau: Joined the FIH Executive Board in 2014 and has over 30 years experience serving the sport in various administrative roles, being Director and Vice President of the Pan American Hockey Federation (PAHF) and a hugely experienced Tournament Director and Technical Official. Shri. V Karthikeya Pandian: Private Secretary of the Chief Minister of Odisha, the Indian state that has and continues to be a huge champion of the sport of hockey. Yoshida Motohito: Known as the father of Japanese hockey, Yoshida Motohito is the Honorary President of Asian Hockey Federation as well as being a former Chair of the AHF Promotion Committee and former President of Japan Hockey Association. Nii Quaye-Kumah: A well respected Technical Official from Ghana, Nii Quaye-Kumah has been active at numerous world level events down the years, who has also had a distinguished period of service with Ghana Hockey.  David G Collier: An English sports administrator in hockey and cricket, David G Collier is a former international umpire and respected Technical Delegate who was the Chair of the FIH Rules Committee until this Congress, when the term of office ended. Roger St-Rose: A former Trinidad & Tobago international player, umpire and Umpires Manager, Roger St-Rose has also been on various FIH and PAHF Officials committees in the latter part of his 40+ year involvement in the sport. Bob Claxton: The Secretary General and Treasurer of the Oceania Hockey Federation, the Australian has a 60+ year association with the sport and has been instrumental in the growth of hockey in the Pacific Island region. Kim Myung Sung: An Executive Board member of Asian Hockey Federation and Chairman of AHF Governance Panel and member of the AHF Finance committee who is also vice president of the Korean Hockey Association.   There was also a special honour for Dr Thomas Bach, the President of the International Olympic Committee (IOC), who was the recipient of the FIH President’s Award for Peace and Friendship.  “This award belongs to the whole of the IOC and the entire Olympic movement, because without the support of so many, the achievement of peace and friendship in sport could never be accomplished”, said the IOC President, in a specially recorded acceptance video.  “The purpose of the IOC was always to promote peace and friendship through sport. It remains the overarching mission of the IOC and the Olympic movement to this very day. We can only make the world a better place through sport if we care for one another through solidarity. This is why I would like to thank the FIH and the hockey family across the globe for demonstrating that solidarity runs strong in our Olympic community.” In a separate message recorded to mark the start of the 47th FIH Congress, Dr Bach described the upcoming Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 as being “the light at the end of a very dark tunnel”, whilst also praising the efforts of the FIH Hockey Pro League to show that international sporting fixtures can be staged safely in these difficult times.  Closing the 47th Congress, re-elected FIH President Dr Narinder Dhruv Batra thanked everyone who took part in the 47th Congress, stating: “Although we have been unable to meet in person due to the ongoing COVID-19 global pandemic, I still believe through your support we have been able to have a successful Congress. I offer my congratulations to the re-elected members of the FIH Executive Board and wish them well for the next term. I would like to place on record my gratitude to all hockey stakeholders, including commercial partners, sponsors and broadcasters, media, press, athletes, teams, coaches and especially volunteers, who are the backbone of hockey.”

SPORTS REPORT LAHORE (May 22, 2021):-West Indian famed T20 batting duo of Shimron Hetmyer and Johnson Charles were submitted as replacement picks by Multan Sultans in an online session held with the franchise representatives on Tuesday evening. The hard-hitting left-hander Hetmyer will be making his HBL PSL debut while the wicketkeeper-batsman Charles has represented Quetta Gladiators as well as the Sultans in earlier HBL PSL editions. Earlier, it was decided that all teams will be allowed 20-member squads and the teams submitted a total of 12 picks which included replacement as well as the 19th and 20th player submissions for some of the teams. Islamabad United, Karachi Kings, Lahore Qalandars have not made selections for their 20th player which they will make later, if needed. Besides Hetmyer and Charles, Sultans also picked Hammad Azam and Mohammad Waseem (UAE). The Gladiators chose Jack Wildermuth (Australia), Jake Weatherald (Australia), Zahir Khan (Afghanistan) and Khurram Shehzad as their picks. Qalandars picked Tim David (Singapore) and Sultan Ahmed from UAE. United added Mohammad Akhlaq, Zalmi added Bismillah Khan and Kings added Mohammad Haris Khan to their respective squads. HBL PSL 6 squads for Abu Dhabi-leg: Final squads (in alphabetical order): Islamabad United – Shadab Khan (c), Ahmed Saifi Abdullah, Ali Khan, Akif Javed, Asif Ali, Colin Munro, Fawad Ahmed, Faheem Ashraf, Hasan Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed, Mohammad Wasim Jnr, Mohammad Akhlaq, Musa Khan, Rohail Nazir, Usman Khawaja, Zafar Gohar and Zeeshan Zameer Karachi Kings - Imad Wasim (c), Abbas Afridi, Amir Yamin, Arshad Iqbal, Babar Azam, Chadwick Walton, Danish Aziz, Martin Guptill, Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Ilyas, Mohammad Haris, Thisara Perera, Najeebullah Zadran, Noor Ahmed, Qasim Akram, Sharjeel Khan, Waqas Maqsood and Zeeshan Malik Lahore Qalandars – Sohail Akhtar (c), Ahmed Danyal, Ben Dunk, Callum Ferguson, Dilbar Hussain, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, James Faulkner, Maaz Khan, Mohammad Faizan, Mohammad Hafeez, Shakib al Hasan (replacement to be announced shortly), Salman Ali Agha, Seekuge Prasana, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Sultan Ahmed (replaces Joe Burns), Tim David, Zaid Alam and Zeeshan Ashraf Multan Sultans– Mohammad Rizwan (c), Hammad Azam, Imran Tahir, Imran Khan Snr, Johnson Charles, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Umar, Obed McCoy, Rahmanullah Gurbaz, Rilee Rossouw, Shahid Afridi, Shahnawaz Dhani, Shan Masood, Shimron Hetmyer (partially available), Sohaib Maqsood, Sohaibullah, Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Usman Qadir and Muhammad Waseem Peshawar Zalmi– Wahab Riaz (c), Abrar Ahmed, Amad Butt, Bismillah Khan, David Miller (partially available), Fabian Allen (partially available), Fidel Edwards (partially available), Haider Ali, Imam-ul-Haq, Kamran Akmal, Mohammad Amir Khan, Mohammad Irfan Snr, Mohammad Imran, Mohammad Imran Randhawa, Rovman Powell, Waqar Salamkheil, Sherfane Rutherford, Shoaib Malik, and Umaid Asif Quetta Gladiators – Sarfaraz Ahmed (c), Abdul Nasir, Andre Russell (partially available), Anwar Ali, Arish Ali Khan, Azam Khan, Cameron Delport, Faf du Plessis, Hassan Khan, Jack Wildermuth, Jake Weatherald, Khurram Shehzad, Mohammad Hasnain, Mohammad Nawaz, Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Usman Khan, Usman Shinwari, Zahid Mahmood and Zahir Khan

SPORTS NEWS ISLAMABAD (May 21, 2021):-After a Covid-19 enforced break, the HBL Pakistan Super League 6 is all set to resume with the remaining 20 matches of tournament’s sixth edition taking place at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, Abu Dhabi.  The resumption of the PCB’s marquee event has been made possible through the untiring efforts of the PCB with the support of the UAE government, National Emergency Crisis and Disasters Management Authority, Emirates Cricket Board and Abu Dhabi Sports Council. All 24 matches of the 2016 season, 23 matches of the 2017 season, 31 matches of the 2018 season and 26 matches of the 2019 season were played in the UAE.  The Sheikh Zayed Stadium staged four matches of the 2019 edition and this will be the first occasion of the stadium hosting a significant number of HBL PSL matches. The entire 2020 season was played in Pakistan, while the 2021 edition was suspended on 4 March a day after the 14th match of the tournament was played at Karachi’s National Stadium. The six captains are now ready to switch-on and dazzle at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium in search of trophy winning glory. At present, defending champions Karachi Kings top the points table with six points from five matches (three wins, two defeats). Interestingly, all top four sides, Kings, Peshawar Zalmi, Islamabad United and Lahore Qalandars accumulated six points in the Karachi-leg, with Kings taking the top-spot due to their better net run-rate. The 2017 champions Peshawar Zalmi occupy the second-spot with as many points, wins and defeats as the Kings but an inferior net run-rate of 0.273 compared to Kings’ 0.697. Islamabad United, the 2016 and 2018 champions, occupy the third-spot. They recorded three wins in four matches they played in Karachi, their net run-rate is 0.202. Lahore Qalandars, the HBL PSL 2020 finalists, are in the fourth-spot with three wins and a defeat from their four matches with six points and a net run-rate of 0.085.  Multan Sultans are languishing in the fifth-spot with two points from five matches (one win, four defeats) and a net run-rate of -0.244 while the 2019 champions Quetta Gladiators are bottom-placed with a win and four defeats in five matches and a net run-rate of -0.936. Karachi Kings captain Imad Wasim: “The HBL Pakistan Super League 6 restart is great news for both the players and especially the fans. We were at the top of the points table in Karachi and would like to be able to sustain the run of form in Abu Dhabi too. “I am pleased with our replacements, especially Martin Guptill and Thisara Perera who have tons of T20 experience and have been proven match winners, as well as Najib, to add to a phenomenally gifted local core, led by our batting maestro Babar Azam. “Sharjeel Khan did well for us in Karachi while Mohammad Amir as always will be spearheading our bowling attack. At a personal level, I look forward to leading my team from the front in our efforts of a successful defence of our title.” Peshawar Zalmi captain Wahab Riaz: “We are really excited about the resumption of the HBL Pakistan Super League 6. Like the rest of the sides, we also have a rejigged squad in terms of our foreign players. “We are pleased with our replacements as the trio of Fabian Allen, Fidel Edwards and Rovman Powell provide us with good T20 options. We have some seasoned T20 campaigners, Shoaib Malik, Imam-ul-Haq and Kamran Akmal provide us with that experience and skill in the batting department backed by young Haider Ali. “Mohammad Irfan, Umaid Asif and I would aim to lead the bowling attack in Abu Dhabi. Our young pacers Mohammad Imran and Amir Khan are also full of promise and potential and have a significant role to play for us in Abu Dhabi.  We had a good run in Karachi and we would be aiming to further improve our performance in the remaining round matches to ensure a top two position which will help us in the play-offs.” Islamabad United captain Shadab Khan: “In the prevailing pandemic challenges, the return of the HBL PSL 6 is a massive boost for all of us. We have great memories of playing in the UAE, United of course won its first title there in 2016. The 2017 season proved to be a life changing one for me there, now four years later, I am really looking forward to leading my side in Abu Dhabi. “We had an excellent run in Karachi and I am confident that the team will do equally well in Abu Dhabi. Usman Khawaja provides us good foreign batting support and I am sure he will be useful for us in the top-order. “We have quality Pakistan players in our line-up, Asif Ali, Hussain Talat, Iftikhar Ahmed and Faheem Ashraf provide us great depth and pedigree. Hasan Ali has made great all-round contributions in recent domestic and international appearances and is at present at the peak of his prowess, we hope he will continue his great form for us especially towards the business end of the tournament.” Lahore Qalandars captain Sohail Akhtar: “The Karachi-leg was incredibly competitive and despite our fourth-spot we are joint on points with the three teams ahead of us. This means that we have a real shot at one of the four play-off berths and that is really exciting. This year also provides us the opportunity of changing our poor run in the UAE where we struggled to make an impression in the previous editions, we have some incredible local talent with a potent bowling attack which makes me very confident. “As a captain, I am thrilled to have players like Fakhar Zaman, Mohammad Hafeez, Shaheen Shah Afridi and Haris Rauf in our ranks, they provide real firepower and depth to our squad. Callum Ferguson and James Faulkner lead the line-up of our foreign replacements and we have a quality roster overall as we look forward to welcoming them in Abu Dhabi.” Multan Sultans captain Mohammad Rizwan: “We had a tough run in Karachi, but we have the depth and pedigree in our squad to turn the tables around when we resume the action in the UAE. We would need to hit the ground running and produce the wins straight away to stay in contention for a play-offs spot and that is a challenge that will motivate both me and my squad. “Obed McCoy and Rahmanullah Gurbaz provide us depth as our foreign replacements for the Abu Dhabi-leg. “Players like Sohaib Maqsood, Usman Qadir, Sohail Tanvir and Shahid Afridi have the ability to turn a match on its head, they can with their individual and collective brilliance, bring us right back in the hunt in Abu Dhabi. I am hopeful that we will put smiles on the Sultans’ fans faces with a strong turnaround in the remainder of the tournament.” Quetta Gladiators captain Sarfaraz Ahmed: “The Karachi-leg was a challenging one for us as a team but we took a significant step in the last match before the suspension by becoming the first side to successfully defend a target in the HBL Pakistan Super League 6. The last result is a positive that we will carry with us in Abu Dhabi, UAE has been a great venue for us as we have done outstandingly well there in the past. “The conditions and the nature of the pitches have always suited us and we would really want to make it count as we cannot afford a slip-up. We look forward to welcoming Andre Russell to our ranks, his presence, rich T20 experience and sheer star power will definitely help us in the remainder of the tournament. “Besides Russell, players like Azam Khan, Mohammad Nawaz, Mohammad Hasnain and Anwar Ali are match winners on their day and we need them to be at their very best in Abu Dhabi. Opener Usman Khan won us the last match in Karachi on his HBL PSL debut and I hope he will continue to play with the same fearless approach.”  

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (May 12, 2021):-With under three months to go to the Olympic Games Tokyo, the International Federation of Sport Climbing (IFSC) has announced new broadcasting agreements with four partners. The new deals will see an increase in coverage of IFSC competitions. With an eye to increasing the digital footprint of IFSC competitions, Zhibo.tv in China has acquired exclusive digital rights with a commitment to broadcast all IFSC competitions live or delayed for the 2021 and 2022 seasons in the territory of China. The deal also includes non-exclusive rights for the 2021 World Championships and the IFSC events taking place in China. As one of the biggest sports-only digital platforms in China, Zhibo.tv continues to develop digital partnerships worldwide and the agreement with the IFSC adds another leading International Federation to its growing list of clients. Commenting on the new broadcast partnerships, IFSC President Marco Scolaris said: “With live sport returning to the global sporting calendar, we have seen increased demand for rights to show our competitions and we are delighted to welcome these partners to the IFSC for the 2021 season. We are confident that these partnerships will provide climbing fans around the world a more comprehensive offering of our events. I would like to extend our gratitude to all our Member Federations and local organisers, for their outstanding, tireless work; and to our athletes, who are always able to compete at the highest level, despite the many difficulties.”

By BIPIN DANI Former Sri Lankan cricketer Avishka Gunawardene, who has been cleared by the ICC (International Cricket Council) didn't celebrate the "victory" but performed a religious ceremony on Tuesday. This was revealed by his wife, Fran. Speaking exclusively over the telephone from Colombo, she said, "because of the current Covid pandemic, we can't think of a party but instead, we went to the St. Anthony Church and are now heading to a temple near our house". "Will perform some religious ceremony here and all our extended family will sit together and thank God. We are grateful to God". "We are all happy and my husband and we all are relieved at last. Former left-handed batsman and the coach, Avishka Gunawardene, who, on behalf of the ECB (Emirates Cricket Board) had been charged by the ICC on two different Anti-Corruption codes.  According to his lawyer Chrismal Warnasuriya (Court of Appeal), Avishka should claim compensation for the period he was banned. However, the family has not given a thought to this. "We are not thinking on those lines yet. My husband is ambitious to resume his coaching and he will concentrate on this now", the wife added. For the record : Kusal Perera did claim compensation when his ban on the doping charges had to be dropped by the ICC following his innocence was proved some five years ago.

SPORTS DESK ISLAMABAD (May 12, 2021):-Pakistan bowlers Hasan Ali, Nauman Ali and Shaheen Afridi have all achieved career-best positions in the MRF Tyres ICC Men’s Test Player Rankings after becoming the first trio from their country to grab five-wicket hauls in the same match. Abid Ali in 40th place after double century in Harare; Zimbabwe’s Chakabva and Muzarabani also move up in weekly update Fast bowler Hasan Ali (5-27 in the first innings), left-arm fast bowler Shaheen Afridi (5-52 in the second innings) and left-arm spinner Nauman Ali (5-86 in the second innings) played important roles as Pakistan won the second Test against Zimbabwe in Harare by an innings and 147 runs to complete a 2-0 series win. Hasan has moved up six places to 14th position, Shaheen is up nine places to 22nd and Nauman has gone from 54th to 46th position after registering only the sixth instance of three bowlers from one side finishing with five-wicket hauls in the same Test. It was the first such instance in 28 years, the last one being when Australia’s Paul Reiffel, Shane Warne and Tim May achieved the feat against England at Edgbaston in 1993. Meanwhile, opener Abid Ali’s player of the match performance of 215 not out has helped him advance 38 places to 40th among batsmen while Azhar Ali has gained four slots to reach 16th position after scoring 126. Nauman has also gained in this list, his quick 97 lifting him 35 places to 116th spot. For Zimbabwe, Regis Chakabva has gained 16 slots to reach 81st place after scores of 33 and 80 while Luke Jongwe has entered the rankings in 133rd position. Fast bowler Blessing Muzarabani’s haul of three for 82 sees him advance four places to 51st. Tendai Chisoro is up 11 slots to 110th position.

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (May 12, 2021):-Pakistan Squash Federation (PSF) has postponed the Chief of the Air Staff-Serena Hotels International Squash Championship, which was scheduled to be played from May 31 to June 4, 2021 at Mushaf Squash Complex, Islamabad. According to an official of PSF, the event was to be held at Pakistan Sports Complex from May 31 to June 4, 2021. The championship has been postponed due to the prevailing Covid-19 situation around the world.  Now, the tournament for men and women will now be held in the first week of August, 2021.    

SPORTS REPORT ISLAMABAD (April 17, 2021):-Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has congratulated its men’s national cricket team on a successful tour of South Africa, where they won both the ODI and T20I series. By virtue of winning the ODI series 2-1, Pakistan vaulted to second on the ICC Men’s Cricket World Cup Super League points table, while a 3-1 win in the T20Is has helped fourth-ranked Pakistan to reduce the gap with number-one ranked England to just 10 points. During the South Africa tour, Babar Azam twice achieved number-one ODI ranking in a space of five days to eventually finish the series as the highest-ranked ODI batsman in the world, while Fakhar Zaman and Shaheen Shah Afridi climbed to their career-best rankings in the format. In the third T20I, Babar scored his maiden T20I century and partnered in a 197-run first wicket stand with Mohammad Rizwan as Pakistan successfully accomplished their highest successful chase in T20Is by scoring 205 for one with 12 balls to spare. In the fourth T20I, Pakistan overcame a middle-order collapse to win their first series in South Africa since March 2013 when they won the Centurion game by 95 runs after the Kingsmead match had been abandoned. PCB Chairman Ehsan Mani: “On behalf of the Pakistan cricket fans, I want to congratulate the Pakistan men’s cricket team on an impressive performance on the tour. South Africa has never been easy for the visiting sides, but Pakistan stepped up every time they were tested and challenged on way to winning the ODI and T20I series 2-1 and 3-1, respectively. “Away wins are always crucial and critical for the team and players’ development and progression. I am confident these results will provide the players and the team the required confidence in what is a challenging and competitive year of international cricket. “Babar Azam, through his commanding performances, has proved to be an inspirational leader. There was a lot of skepticism when he was first appointed white-ball captain in October 2019. But I am pleased with his development and happy that he has continued to justify the board’s trust and confidence in him. I have no doubt that he will continue to improve and strengthen his captaincy skills as he has the potential to become one of Pakistan’s most successful captains. “A rejuvenated Fakhar Zaman and a consistent Mohammad Rizwan have given the top-order the much-needed reliability, which is very encouraging and pleasing. It has been a run-feast in South Africa, making it difficult for the bowlers. But every match provides a learning opportunity and I am sure our bowlers will return from South Africa as a much-improved unit. “I also want to compliment Misbah-ul-Haq and all the other members of his coaching team for their continued hard work as well as all their efforts that have gone into the preparation and development of the players. “Finally, I want to remind everyone we cannot afford to be complacent. This is a T20 World Cup year and each participating team will be putting in their best efforts to arrive fully prepared for the competition with the sole aim of winning the tournament. We need to continue to work hard, stay focused our objectives so that we can also perform strongly in the series against England, West Indies and New Zealand, which will be played in the lead up to the global event.”