Multan:The ‘Khelta Punjab’ games phase at divisional level concluded successfully, here on Thursday.
Over 15,000 athletes participated in the games across the division. At the inter-district competitions, 551 male and female athletes participated and 152 of them emerged as position holders. The winners were awarded cash prizes worth millions of rupees.
An awards distribution ceremony, held at the sports ground, was attended by hundreds of athletes. Additional Chief Secretary South Punjab Fuad Hashim Rabbani distributed cheques among players.
Speaking at the event, he said that organising competitions under ‘Khelta Punjab’ slogan was a historic initiative by Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif. He said 120,000 athletes from across the province participated in these games.
Divisional Sports Officer Syed Manzar Shah shared details about the competitions, stating that six games were held at the district level and 12 at the divisional level. He added that winners of cricket, hockey, football, kabaddi, and baske
tball games were awarded cash prizes of Rs 150,000, while the runner-ups received Rs 100,000. Winners of table tennis, badminton, and archery received Rs 100,000, while runner-ups were awarded Rs 50,000. Similarly, winners in athletics (boys and girls), taekwondo, and mat wrestling were given Rs 25,000, with runner-ups receiving Rs 15,000 in cash prizes.
Syed Manzar Shah also informed that position holders at the divisional level would now compete in the provincial-level games. The ceremony was attended by political figure Malik Anwar Ali, District Sports Officer Adnan Naeem, Tehsil Sports Officer Farooq Atif, and district sports officers from Khanewal, Vehari, and Lodhran.