KP Sports DG vows to make hockey event a success

ISLAMABAD: As the first National Under-16 Hockey Championship is going to start tomorrow (Saturday) at the Lala Ayub Stadium in Peshawar, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Sports Board Director General Asfandyar Khattak Thursday promised all-out support to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hockey Association to make the event a big success.

Talking to ‘The News’, Asfandyar said the KP Sports Board has let its doors open for all sports at grassroots level and the Under-16 hockey event is no exception. “Since the KP Hockey Association has served the game well, we have decided to extend all possible support to the association to organise the event in a befitting manner. In hockey, the province has produced legends in the past.”

Asfandyar admitted that lack of strong pool of players at the grassroots had been the main cause of the decline in hockey’s standard. “The championship would help in spotting the talent and go on to broaden the base of players in the province. I hope with the help of Zahir Shah and his team, we would be able to spot and groom future stars for the country.”

The DG said that the players picked from junior events would be groomed further. “We are also planning to organise Under-16 events in nine other sports disciplines just to broaden the pool of junior players.”

He added that two KP teams were selected following a series of trials held over the last few weeks.