MARDAN: The men’s hockey trials kicked off, under the Prime Minister Youth Talent Hunt Program Hockey event, at General Ehsan Sports Complex Mardan here on Monday.
A total of 40 players turned up for the trials in Mardan region, wherein the selection committee headed by former Hockey Olympian Rahim Khan, Waqas Ahmad and President KP Hockey Association Syed Zahir Shah thoroughly monitored the performance of the players.
Pakistan Muslim League- Nawaz(PML-N) District Mardan President Inayat Ullah Bacha was the chief guest. He was accompanied by Central Information Secretary Ali Khan Yousafzai, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Hockey Association Chairman former IG Saeed Khan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Youth Coordinator Engineer Arif Rawan, Director Sports Peshawar University Bahr Karam, Director Sports Abdul Wali Khan University Dr Farooq, Director Distance System Education Dr Noorzada, and other important personalities.
In light of the special instructions of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, University of Peshawar, under the supervision of Advisor to Prime Minister Amir Muqam and Special Assistant Shaza Fatima, initiated trials in 12 male and 10 female games with the collaboration and support of the Higher Education Commission (HEC) all across the country including Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Olympian Rahim Khan lauded Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif for launching such youth talent hunt programme at grassroots level. He said Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had been divided in four different zones including Swat, Hazara, Mardan, Peshawar, and Bannu, wherein both men and women trials would be organized, which will help in discovering new talent across Pakistan.
He said in the first phase, a total of 25 players each for all regions would be shortlisted for the camp, following with the League event and in the final phase, 25 players would be selected for the one month international training in each game.
In his address to the players, the chief guest Inayat Ullah Bacha said that in view of the prime minister’s instructions, steps were being taken to promote sports across the country.
He said that for the promotion of national game hockey, such steps were the key for regaining the lost glories, but without hard work of the players and extending them modern day facilities, we can not rank among top teams of the world.
The government, he said, should take strong measures to promote this game at the school level. KP Youth Coordinator Engineer Arif Rawan said that in 25 regions across the country, trials of various games continue including hockey, both male and female.
He said such trials had been initiated in all the four provinces including Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan while soon a proper mechanism would be established to provide ample opportunities to the players of merged tribal districts.
He added, “They are part of these trials but we want to have such trials in the merged districts as well in order to ensure maximum participation of the tribal youth.”
Coordinator of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and former international athlete Bahre Karam said that they had made best arrangements for hosting the trials and facilitating the selection committee of various games in all five regions of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
He said for the selection of the players merit was the only criteria, adding that the player who performs on the field would be selected.
Deputy Director Sports, Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Women University Maria Samin is named as coordinator for Female Games in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.