PESHAWAR, Dec 6 (APP): The 16th Asian Games gold medalist Aamir Atlas will lit the 31st National Games torch, after receiving it from other legendary Olympians. This was decided in a meeting of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Olympic Association chaired by its president and Provincial Sports Minister Syed Aqil Shah.
Secretaries of all affiliated sports associations, chairperson women games MPA Shaghufta Malik, Secretary Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Olympic Association Zulfiqar Butt, Director Sports Mir Bashar Khan, Directress Sports Rashida Bibi, Director Sports Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) Ghulam Norani and representative of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) Azhar Ali Shah attended the meeting.
The meeting unanimously announced Shah Nawaz Shinwari as Chief de Mission, Madam Gulnar, hailing from Mardan as Deputy Chief de Mission and Secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Gymnastic Association Ejaz Ahmad as Secretary of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa contingent for the National Games.
For the over all monitoring of arrangements as well as games, a monitoring team was constituted under Chairmanship of provincial Sports Minister Syed Aqil Shah with Taj Muhammad, Nisar and Maj Arshid as members of the team while Directress Sports Rashida Bibi will be coordinator of the women games.
A two member committee comprising Director Sports PSB Ghulam Noorani and Din Muhammad would monitor the camps setup for the Games besides ensuring maximum participation of the players during training and coaching being imparted to players in various games at the camps.
The meeting was told that the POA has allowed honorary participation to FATA in the Games and its 50-members contingent will take part in the march past besides other events including athletics. The meeting also took decisions regarding accommodation, security, transportation and accreditation cards of the players.
Addressing the meeting, provincial sports minister Syed Aqil Shah said with the inclusion of men Wushu, Hockey and Football, a total of 21 men games and seven women games would be played. He said all the participating units including four provinces, Islamabad, Pakistan Army, PAF, Wapda, Railways and HEC have assured their enthusiastic participation in the national games.
He said foolproof security arrangements would be made, a police control room had established in Qayum Stadium while Chief Minister Ameer Haider Khan Hoti was very keen in holding the national games at Peshawar who would himself monitor the security arrangements. He said with the blessings of Allah, the most successful national games in the history of Pakistan would be held in Peshawar from December 25-31 – APP