LAHORE (Sports Report):-Two volleyball matches were played on the second day of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games Volleyball Tournament at Gymnasium Hall Divisional Sports Complex, Dera Ghazi Khan on Wednesday. In the first match Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) thrashed Punjab by 3-1 margin while South Punjab emerged triumphant against Higher Education Commission (HEC) with the same margin in the second match. Director General Sports Punjab JavedChohan while expressing his views on the holding of Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games in South Punjab said Sports Board Punjab has planned regular sports events in all parts of the province. “Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games in South Punjab is also part of our sports promotion campaign and we will organize more sports events at a bigger level in other parts of province so that talented youth from across the province could get a suitable platform to display their hidden sports abilities”. The participating volleyball players demonstrated immense passion in Mir Chakar Azam Rind Games Volleyball Tournament matches. “This tournament is providing us a wonderful platform to show our talent and there should be more events like this in future,” the volleyball players said while expressing their views about the tournament. It may be noted here that country’s leading volleyball teams like Pakistan Air Force (PAF), Higher Education Commission (HEC), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Pakistan Wapda and South Punjab are participating in the Volleyball Tournament.  

Sports Bulletin Report Dhaka, Bangladesh (December 22, 2021):-South Korea overcame Japan on penalty shootouts to win the sixth edition of the Asian Hockey Champions Trophy 2021 in Dhaka, Bangladesh on Wednesday. India won the bronze medal after beating Pakistan by 3-4 goals in a thrilling match. According to the details, Korea and India won on the final day of the Asian Champions Trophy played in Dhaka, Bangladesh under the auspices of the Asian Hockey Federation. In the bronze medal match, India defeated Pakistan by 4-3 after a thrilling and nerve-wracking contest and claimed the third position in the 5-national regional hockey showpiece. The match started with a fast pace, as the traditional rivals displayed a top quality hockey during the all 60 minutes of play and amused the hockey lovers with great skilled-full contest. India got the lead 1-0 in the second minutes of the game to put Green Shirts in pressure and in the 10th minute of the game, Afraz from Pakistan scored a goal through a field goal to end India's lead and the score was tied at 1-1. A goal scorer on a corner gave Pakistan a one-goal lead. For India, their player Sumat ended the lead with a field goal in the 45th minute of the game and the score was tied at 2-2. India's Kumar Vorone scored on a penalty corner to give his team the lead once again. For India, Akash Deep Singh consolidated the lead by scoring on a penalty corner and the score became 4-2. On the counter-attack, striker Ahmed Nadeem reduced the deficit to one goal by scoring on Abdullah's best pass. By the end of the match, the score was 4-3 in the favour of India. The final of the Asian Champions Trophy was played between Korea and Japan which ended in a 3-3 draw. At the end of the match, Korea defeated Japan in the penalty shootout stage to win the sixth edition of the Asian Champions Trophy.

Tank, KPK (SB Report):-Pakistan Taekwondo Federation (PTF) will host the 2nd IGFC National Taekwondo Championship in District Tank, as top national players from all provinces including Gulgit Baltistan (GB), Azad Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), Islamabad and a local team of Dera Ismail Khan Division will take part in the top national fixture. According to an official of PTF, Pakistan Army will also be featuring in the 3-day event, which is going to be started from December 25, 2021 at Tank District under the supervision and umbrella of IGFC (South KPK). Commenting on the preparations of the event, President Pakistan Taekwondo Federation Lt Col (Retd) Waseem Ahmed, apprised that NSF would try her level best in sincere spirit and genuine warmth in our Beautiful District Tank” to conduct this event. He emphasized that such event would be beneficial for the professional development of our officials and athletes. These events improve the organizational skills of National Sports Federations, ultimately creating a better image of the beloved country. He added that he would also like to mention here the support being given by IGFC Staff and his office, not only in encouraging the proposal in initial stage but also by providing assistance so that better ties can be developed with our main provincial stakeholders. The conduct of this event is also made possible with the keen interest of Brigadier Naiknam Mohammad Baig, Commander Sector South, Frontier Corps (South) KP. Last but not the least, I must acknowledge and appreciate the whole hearted support provided by the South Asian President and CEO Combaxx Sports Omar Saeed as sponsors plays a vital role in facilitating the event. In three days event, more than 200 Officials and athletes will participate in this championship. Our International and National Referees will be there to conduct this event in befitting manners. Once again I am extremely grateful for the IGFC KP (South) for giving this opportunity for our athletes to display their skills, techniques and stamina in the district of South Waziristan.

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.