Ishrat Ashraf elected IOA president

ISLAMABAD: Begum Ishrat Ashraf has taken over as the president of Islamabad Olympic Association (IOA) after the elections were held the other day in Islamabad.

Rowing Secretary Rizwanul Haq Razi was elected as the secretary of the IOA with karate association representative Ijazul Haq as treasurer. Muhammad Sarwar (kabaddi) was elected as the senior vice president and Dr Ouj-E-Zahoor, Ahmad Bilal Waqar, Agha Abbas Raza and Mohammad Arif Qureshi as vice-presidents of the IOA.

Sadaf Parveen was elected as lady vice-president. Mohammad Pervaiz Butt was elected as the Deputy Secretary with Mohammad Akram, Naseer Ahmad, Seyed Haider Abbas and Jilal Ahmad as joint secretaries of the association.

Dr Ruby Khalid was elected as the women joint secretary. Syed Namood Muslim, Yasir Adnan, Asif Balooch (reps of Olympic Sports). Fiza Najaf and Urva Naz as lady representatives. All the office-bearers were elected to the office for the next four years.

Begum Ishrat Ashraf is an experienced sports administrator and a politician with over 30 years dedicated to promoting sports in Pakistan, with a particular focus on encouraging women’s participation. She currently serves as vice president of the Pakistan Olympic Association and Chairperson of Pakistan Boxing Federation, the roles in which she has supported a range of sports initiatives across the country. Her successful election as the president Islamabad Olympic Association makes her the first woman to lead an affiliated unit of the Pakistan Olympic Association in decades. This achievement highlights her sustained commitment to the inclusion and development of female athletes and officials in sports. Syed Mohammad Abid Qadri Gillani, President of the Pakistan Olympic Association, extended his heartfelt congratulations to all the newly elected office-bearers.