Sports Bulletin ReportISLAMABAD: The 6th Men, and 1st Women Inter-Department National Judo Championship 2025 concluded at the Navy Sports Complex from February 23 to 26, 2025. Dominating the event, the Pakistan Army team emerged victorious, securing the championship title with an impressive tally of 11 gold medals.Organized by the Pakistan Judo Federation (PJF) in collaboration with Pakistan Navy, the championship witnessed fierce competition among top departmental teams. The strong and skilled Army contingent clinched 7 gold, 1 silver, and 1 bronze medal in the men’s category, while also securing 4 gold medals in the women’s category. The Pakistan Navy team finished as runners-up, earning 3 gold, 2 silver, and 4 bronze medals in the men’s section, along with 2 gold, 1 silver, and 4 bronze medals in the women’s category.The championship featured participation from six major departmental teams, competing across various weight categories. The men’s contests were held in ten weight divisions: -50 kg, -55 kg, -60 kg, -66 kg, -73 kg, -81 kg, -90 kg, -100 kg, +100 kg, and Open weight. Meanwhile, the women’s events took place in eight weight categories: -40 kg, -44 kg, -48 kg, -52 kg, -57 kg, -63 kg, -70 kg, and Open weight.Captain Kamran, Director Sports of Pakistan Navy, graced the closing ceremony as the chief guest. The event was also attended by the President of the Pakistan Judo Federation, Col. Junaid Alam, along with Major Naveed, Team Manager of Pak-Army, and Executive Members of PJF. 

LAHORE (PR): FG Polo and Olympia/AZB registered victories in the Sarsabz 4th President of Pakistan Polo Cup – National Open Polo Championship 2025, organized by Jinnah Polo Fields. The high-goal season’s premier event, sponsored by Fatima Group, is in full swing at Jinnah Polo Fields. Among the distinguished attendees were Sarsabz Pakistan Director Mian Abbas Mukhtar, Club Secretary Major Ali Taimoor (Retd), players, and a large number of families and polo enthusiasts. In the first match of the day, Olympia/AZB edged out HN with a narrow 5-4 victory in a closely contested battle. Abdul Rehman Monnoo led the charge with two goals, while Ahmed Zubair Butt, Luis Manuel Aguirre, and Novillo Astrada scored one goal each. For HN, Hamza Mawaz Khan netted three goals, and Haider Naseem added one. HN got off to a blistering start, netting two back-to-back goals in the opening chukker and adding another in the second to establish a commanding 3-0 lead. However, just before the second chukker ended, Olympia/AZB broke through with a crucial goal, narrowing the deficit to 3-1. The momentum shifted in the third chukker, as Olympia/AZB found the net once again, bringing the score to 3-2. They then dominated the fourth chukker, firing in two consecutive goals to snatch a 4-3 lead. Their advantage, however, was short-lived, as HN swiftly responded with an equalizer, leveling the contest at 4-4. With the match hanging in the balance, the decisive fifth chukker saw Olympia/AZB capitalizing on a well-executed field goal, sealing a hard-fought 5-4 victory. The second match witnessed a dramatic finish as FG Polo sealed a 9-8 sudden-death victory over DS Polo in the sixth chukker, securing a spot in the main final of the National Open Polo Championship. Raul Laplacette was the standout performer for FG Polo, smashing in five fabulous goals, while Nicolas Ruiz and Raja Mikael Sami contributed two each. DS’s Lao Abelenda hammered five goals, and Max Charlton netted three in a valiant effort. FG Polo dominated the early proceedings, storming to a commanding 5-1 lead by the end of the second chukker. However, DS Polo staged a remarkable comeback, firing in five consecutive goals during the third and fourth chukkers to snatch a 6-5 advantage. The high-intensity fifth chukker saw both teams go head-to-head in a fierce battle, with FG Polo hammering in a hat-trick, while DS Polo responded with a brace, leveling the match at 8-8 and forcing a sudden-death chukker. In a thrilling climax, it was Raul Laplacette who rose to the occasion, smashing in the golden goal to seal a hard-fought 9-8 triumph for FG Polo. The last two league matches are set for Wednesday (February 26, 2025), while the tournament final will take place on Friday. 

Abdul Jabbar FaisalRAWALPINDI: New Zeeland posted a comprehensive triumph by 5 wickets against Bangladesh to confirm their berth in the top-four stage of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025, here at Pindi Cricket Stadium on Monday. Result of the Group match disappointed hosts Pakistan, as they were officially ousted from title race.This was a game that Najmul Hossain Shanto's team had to win to stay alive. But they batted like that was just too much trouble. Bangladesh started at nearly a run a ball. But 10 of the next 15 overs went for three runs or fewer. Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah fell from the pressure created in this period. A combined 511 matches' worth of experience was only good for 6 runs in a do-or-die game. Their wickets left Shanto with no way forward. He kept having to readjust to a new partner, to a new match situation and in the end produced a staccato innings of 77 off 110. He could've done better. The others should've done better.Taskin Ahmed and Nahid Rana raised Bangladesh's hopes with a fiery opening spell, rattling Will Young's stumps in the first over and snaring Williamson for a rare single-digit score. The infield was richly populated at that point. The whole atmosphere was buzzing, the crowd also getting in the act. Into this walked Ravindra. One of the best things about his batting is his touch. It's so pure. Down at No. 4 - he was brought into the XI to replace an ill Daryl Mitchell - there was possibly a risk that he wouldn't be able to take full toll of that. But as luck would have it, he began his innings within the field restrictions and that meant he could profit from his timing. His first five fours were all about finding the gap because his timing always took care of the rest.Ravindra had to wait 11 overs since the field spread to find his next boundary but that didn't mean he was stagnant. His first 23 runs came off 21 balls with five fours. His next 28 runs came off 29 balls with one four. There was one chance in between all that. A mix-up with his Wellington team-mate Devon Conway could have resulted in him being run-out had Tanzid Hasan been able to get a direct hit in the 12th over.Bangladesh weren't able to take their chances. New Zealand did. Williamson did have a hand in proceedings here, picking up smart catches at short midwicket and cover. Michael Bracewell, after wrapping up an uninterrupted 10-over spell, ran 30 yards to his right to pick up a diving catch that probably wasn't even his. But he decided to take charge and it worked.Bracewell contributed 43 of 178 dot balls that plagued Bangladesh. You have to go back to 2012 to find an innings they'd paced quite so poorly. Rotating strike was a struggle and the avenues they chose to get out of that weren't ideal. Perhaps the pitch was too slow in the afternoon to be able to work the ball into gaps. Mushfiqur made a play against Bracewell but he couldn't clear the long boundary with his slog sweep. Bangladesh were 106 for 4 in the 23rd over. At a time when consolidation was actually needed, Mahmudullah made an ill-advised trip down the track and skewed a leading edge to cover.Bracewell contributed to his success by slowing his pace down. Bangladesh contributed considerably more. They exit the tournament having faced more than 50 overs of dot balls. Their decision-making left them so short on batting resources that they had Taskin on strike for the 45th over and it ended up as a maiden. The Black Caps had pulled off another flex, earlier when they had only three fielders, instead of the five allowed, on the boundary in the 40th over.New Zealand went into the chase knowing all they needed were a couple of partnerships and New Zealand got them. Ravindra put on 57 runs with Conway and then 129 with Tom Latham, who is so good at that middle-order crisis manage role. You can totally imagine him side-kicking whoever leads the earth's remaining population at the end of a zombie apocalypse. First things first though, there's an ICC trophy up for grabs.

Sports Bulletin ReportDubai (UAE): India beat Pakistan by six wickets at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium on Sunday evening to qualify for the semi-final of the ICC Champions Trophy. Tonight was Pakistan’s second defeat in as many matches in the tournament after they went down to New Zealand in the opening match by 60 runs.After opting to bat first, Pakistan were dismissed for 241 in 49.4 overs. Saud Shakeel coming to bat at number three top-scored for the side with a 76-ball 62, which included five boundaries. Captain Mohammad Rizwan was other notable run-getter, scoring 46 off 108 balls, hitting three fours. For India, left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav took three wickets, while Hardik Pandya bagged two wickets.In turn, Virat Kohli’s unbeaten century led India to a six-wicket win with 45 balls to spare. Kohli’s innings included seven fours, which came off 111 balls faced. Shreyas Iyer (56, 67b, 5x4s, 1x6) and Shubman Gill (46, 52b, 7x4s) were other contributors with the bat. For Pakistan, Shaheen Shah Afridi grabbed two wickets, while Abrar Ahmed and Khushdil Shah snapped a wicket each.Pakistan will now play Bangladesh in their final group match at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium on Thursday, 27 February.Scores in brief:India beat Pakistan by six wicketsPakistan 241 all out, 49.4 overs (Saud Shakeel 62, Mohammad Rizwan 46, Khushdil Shah 38; Kuldeep Yadav 3-40, Hardik Pandya 2-31)India 244-4, 42.3 overs (Virat Kohli 100 not out, Shreyas Iyer 56, Shubman Gill 46; Shaheen Shah Afridi 2-74)Player of the match – Virat Kohli (India)  

Lahore (PR): Din Polo clinched the coveted trophy of the Diamond Paints Polo Cup after securing a thrilling 10-6 victory over Diamond Paints in the main final at the Lahore Garrison Polo Ground. A large number of spectators and families gathered to witness the final of the six-goal event, part of the Pakistan Polo Association’s calendar. Prominent attendees included Diamond Paints Director Sabina Saman, CEO Mir Shoaib Ahmed, Mrs. Shoaib Ahmed, Director Mir Huzaifa Ahmed, Pro Health Director Ghulam Muhammad Laghari, Sardar Isa Laghari, and Club Secretary Major (Retd) Babar Mahboob Awan, along with a significant crowd of polo enthusiasts. The final match between Din Polo and Diamond Paints proved highly competitive. Din Polo emerged victorious with a 10-6 triumph. Raja Jalal Arsalan and Muhammad Ali Malik led the charge for Din Polo, scoring four fabulous goals each, while Farhad Mohammad Sheikh and Mian Abbas Mukhtar contributed one goal each. For Diamond Paints, Mir Huzaifa Ahmed scored three goals, Raja Taimur Nadeem netted two, and Malik Ali Kuli Khan added one goal. Diamond Paints asserted their dominance in the first chukker, netting three brilliant goals against one from Din Polo, securing an early 3-1 lead. However, Din Polo roared back in the second chukker, firing four spectacular goals, while Diamond Paints managed just one, bringing the match to an intense 5-5 deadlock. The third chukker remained fiercely competitive, with both teams adding one goal each, keeping the contest finely balanced at 6-6. In the fourth and final chukker, Din Polo took complete control, delivering a stunning four-goal blitz to seal a resounding 10-6 victory and clinch the title in style. At the concluding ceremony, Club Secretary Maj (Retd) Babar Mahboob Awan extended special thanks to sponsors Diamond Paints and co-sponsors Pro Health, acknowledging their efforts in making the tournament a success.  

Sports Bulletin ReportLausanne (Switzerland): A stellar offensive and defensive effort from Scotland in the final against Egypt saw them come away with a 4-2 win to claim the inaugural FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 title and the promotion to the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2026. 7/8 Place: Oman 1 – 2 Chile: The 7/8 place classification game started with an early goal from Chile as a shot from Kay Gesswein took an unfortunate deflection off Al Shaaibi and went past the wrong footed keeper. The game was played in an end-to-end fashion with Chile holding more possession, but Oman created some good chances, including two penalty corners, and went close from both of them, but could not find the target. Chile almost doubled their lead on the stroke of halftime but Felipe Richard’s shot hit the post and went wide with Chile taking a 1-0 lead into the break. Oman continued to improve as the game went on and their work in the third quarter was rewarded as a string of penalty corners finally helped them open the scoring as captain, and centurion on the day, Khalid Al Shaaibi injected the ball on the set piece got to the near post and deflected the shot in, to mark his milestone with a goal. It was Chile however who got the winner as an attempted clearance by the Oman defence fell to Alvaro Garcia, who did well to bring the ball under his control and smash a shot past the keeper to earn Chile a win in their final match at the event.5/6 Place: China 1 – 3 Austria: The first half was a tale of Chinese dominance and two penalty corners. The first one was scored by China in the opening quarter through Gao Jiesheng. The goal was the only conversion by China from their 7 penalty corners in the opening half. Austria’s equaliser also came from a penalty corner in a dramatic fashion. They won the set piece with 2 seconds left on the clock and while their initial attempt was stopped on the line, China stopped playing while the ball was still inside the circle, and a sharp steal by Austria led to Moritz Frey steering the ball into an empty goal while the Chinese defence stood shell shocked. Austria used the momentum from their late equaliser in the first half to make a much better start to the second. Their early pressure paid off with Moritz Frey receiving a long aerial in the Chinese circle and getting a powerful reverse shot on target beyond the keeper to give the Red Capricorns the lead. As China threw more and more player into attack in search of the equaliser, Austria scored a third from a counter attack with Josef Winkler and Nikolas Wellan playing one-twos around the keeper, leaving Wellan with an empty goal to tap the ball into. Moritz Frey was awarded player of the match for his two goals that helped Austria get the win and get the 5th place in the competition. Bronze: USA 2 – 2 Poland (Shoot-out: USA 1-3 Poland): Two evenly matched sides in USA and Poland produced fantastic hockey in the opening quarter, but a grave error from Mendoza on the edge of the USA circle, as he tried to play a no-look pass to his teammate led to the opening goal for Poland. The attempted pass went straight to the waiting stick of Koperski, who took one step and buried a powerful shot from the top of the circle into the corner of the goal. That goal remained the only one to be scored in the opening half.USA started slow in the second half with the Polish side in the ascendancy. The second goal of the game also went Poland’s way after Koperski’s flick was stopped on the goal-line by the post defender’s foot and led to a penalty stroke, which was dispatched with ease by Gracjan Jarzyński who doubled the European side’s lead in the bronze medal match. USA were back level by the end of the third quarter with Aki Kaeppelar scoring from a penalty stroke and Mehtab Grewal putting the finishing touches to a great move from the left flank by Pat Harris and Charasika. With no goals coming in the final quarter despite USA’s dominance, the match headed into the shoot-outs to determine the outcome. Polish keeper Mateusz Popiołkowski was the star of the show in the shoot-outs as he stopped USA on three of their four attempts, while Poland strikers converted all three of their attempts as Poland came away winners, to become the bronze medalists at the FIH Hockey Nations Cup 2 Oman 2025.Final: Egypt 2 – 4 Scotland: Egypt made the brighter start and kept prodding the Scottish defence, but the European side stood firm and opened the scoring from an incredibly difficult opportunity as Struan Walker received the ball on the left side of the Egyptian circle, but the narrow angle and distance from the goal did not phase him as his reverse shot found the far corner of the goal to perfection, giving Scotland the lead. The second quarter was more even in nature but once again it was Scotland who got the goals from penalty corners. The first came through a Jamie Golden drag flick that went over the keeper's head before he could react, and the second through a Struan Walker hit from a 30th minute penalty corner that found the bottom left corner of the goal to perfection. With a 3-goal deficit to overcome in the second half, Egypt started pushing hard early in an attempt to claw back the deficit, but Scotland’s defence continued to stand firm and stopped Egypt from scoring on four penalty corners in the first five minutes. Their work was rewarded on the other end as a counter attack from a saved penalty corner turned into the fourth Scottish goal, coming from the stick of Austin Thomas this time. Egypt finally got on the board midway through the final quarter with Mohamed Ragab scoring from their 11th penalty corner of the game! Egypt added a second through an Ahmed Elganaini penalty stroke, but the deficit overall was too much to overcome as Scotland came away with 4-2 win and the inaugural FIH Hockey Men’s Nations Cup 2 title. Final Standings: Scotland, Egypt, Poland, USA, Austria, China, Chile, Oman

Lahore (PR): Olympia/AZB and BN/Newage emerged victorious in the Sarsabz 4th President of Pakistan Polo Cup for National Open Polo Championship 2025 at the Jinnah Polo Fields. The biggest high-goal event of the season is underway at Jinnah Polo Fields, sponsored by Fatima Group. The event was attended by Mian Abbas Mukhtar, Director of Sarsabz Pakistan, Major (R) Ali Taimoor, Secretary of Jinnah Polo Fields, along with a large number of families and players. In the first match of the day, Olympia/AZB secured a dramatic 9-8 sudden-death victory over DS Team in the sixth chukker, marking their first win of the tournament. Luis Manuel Aguirre was the standout performer for Olympia/AZB, as he smashed in six superb goals, while Ahmed Zubair Butt contributed two, and Novillo Astrada added one. On the opposing side, Max Charlton led DS Team with five goals, followed by Lao Abelenda (two) and Ahmed Ali Tiwana (one). Olympia/AZB set the tone early, dominating the first chukker with two goals. However, DS Polo responded strongly in the second chukker, firing in three goals against Olympia/AZB’s two. Despite the challenge, Olympia/AZB maintained a narrow 4-3 lead. In the third chukker, Olympia/AZB extended their dominance, adding two more goals to stretch their advantage to 6-4. But DS Polo roared back in the fourth chukker, delivering a stunning hat-trick to edge ahead with a 7-6 lead. With the match hanging in the balance, Olympia/AZB staged a resilient comeback, netting two crucial goals against DS Polo’s one to level the score at 8-8, forcing a sudden-death chukker. In a dramatic finish, Luis Manuel Aguirre delivered the decisive field goal, securing a hard-fought 9-8 victory for Olympia/AZB. In the second match of the day, BN/Newage edged past HN with a 4-3 victory. Marcos Solari slammed in two tremendous goals for BN/Newage, while Mir Huzaifa Ahmed and Novillo (substituting for injured T2) scored one each. Haider Naseem (two goals) and Hamza Mawaz Khan (one goal) were the scorers for HN Polo. The tournament will continue on Monday with two crucial matches.   

Our CorrespondentLAHORE: England Men have confirmed their XI for their opening match of the ICC Champions Trophy against Australia on Saturday in Lahore.Jamie Smith returns to the side, batting at No.3 and taking the gloves as wicketkeeper. Jofra Archer is selected alongside fellow seamers Brydon Carse and Mark Wood.England XI: Phil Salt, Ben Duckett, Jamie Smith (WK), Joe Root, Harry Brook, Jos Buttler (C), Liam Livingstone, Brydon Carse, Jofra Archer, Adil Rashid, Mark Wood

Sports Bulletin ReportKARACHI: The ninth edition of the ICC Champions Trophy 2025 will commence in Pakistan on Wednesday, 19 February, with winners of the 2017 edition, Pakistan, taking on New Zealand in the opening match of the tournament at the National Stadium in Karachi. The first ball of the match will be bowled at 2pm PKT.The eight-team tournament will be played across three venues in Pakistan – Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi – as well as in Dubai, United Arab Emirates (UAE) from 19 February to 9 March. Pakistan is all set to host an ICC event for the first time since the ICC Cricket World Cup 1996, which concluded with the final at the Gaddafi Stadium, where Sri Lanka defeated Australia by seven wickets.In the lead-up to the ICC Champions Trophy, the three venues in Pakistan – Gaddafi Stadium Lahore, National Stadium Karachi and Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium – have undergone major upgradation, offering players and spectators world-class facilities.Pakistan enter the tournament as the defending champions, having beaten India in the final of the 2017 edition, led by Sarfaraz Ahmed. Fakhar Zaman was the player of the final for his imperious 114 off 106 deliveries, while Hasan Ali was named the player of the tournament for his tally of 13 wickets in five games.The eight participating teams have been divided into two groups with hosts Pakistan, Bangladesh, India and New Zealand pooled in Group A while Group B comprises Afghanistan, current ODI World Cup champions Australia, England and South Africa.Following their opening encounter against New Zealand, Pakistan will play their next two group matches on 23 February against India in Dubai and on 27 February against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi.In the group stage, three matches apiece will be played in Dubai, Karachi, Lahore and Rawalpindi.The first semi-final will be played on 4 March in Dubai. The newly-upgraded Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore will host the second semi-final on 5 March. If India do not qualify, the final will take place at the Gaddafi Stadium on 9 March, however, if they qualify, it will be held at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium.Apart from winning this tournament in 2017, Pakistan has also reached the semi-finals of this competition on three occasions: 2000, 2004 and 2009.Pakistan captain, Mohammad Rizwan said: “A global event has come to Pakistan after 29 years, so I believe the entire nation is celebrating this historic occasion. There are no doubts about our performance, we have worked hard and learned from our mistakes. We hope that we play well tomorrow Insha’Allah. Our sole focus is on winning the tournament for the country and our people and we hope that we achieve the desired results.”Pakistan’s 15-player squad: Mohammad Rizwan (captain & wicket-keeper), Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Faheem Ashraf, Fakhar Zaman, Haris Rauf, Kamran Ghulam, Khushdil Shah, Mohammad Hasnain, Naseem Shah, Salman Ali Agha (vice-captain), Saud Shakeel, Shaheen Shah Afridi, Tayyab Tahir and Usman Khan.

Sports Bulletin ReportLAHORE: The Sarsabz 4th President of Pakistan Polo Cup (National Open Polo Championship 2025), organized by Jinnah Polo Fields, kicked off with two thrilling matches on the opening day, where FG Polo and DS Polo emerged victorious.A large crowd of spectators and families gathered to witness the high-octane action of the Sarsabz 4th President of Pakistan National Open Polo Championship. Distinguished guests in attendance included Director Sarsabz Pakistan Mian Ali Mukhtar, Mian Abbas Mukhtar, Secretary Maj (R) Ali Taimoor, and other dignitaries.In the first match of the opening day, FG Polo edged past BN/Newage with a close 8-7 victory. The star of the match was Argentinian player Raul Laplacette, who smashed in seven stunning goals for FG Polo, while Mian Abbas Mukhtar added one to seal the victory. On the opposing side, HN Polo’s Marcos Solari single-handedly netted all six goals for his team.In the second match, DS Polo dominated HN Polo with an 8-4 win. Lao Abelenda led DS Polo’s charge with four goals, while Max Charlton scored two, and Raja Temur Nadeem and Daniyal Sheikh added one goal each. For HN Polo, Pelayo Berazadi scored three goals, while Hamza Mawaz Khan contributed one.The championship action will continue on Thursday (February 19, 2025), with two more exciting matches scheduled.