….. After 44 years :)
A Pakistani soldier and a police officer stand guard as Pakistani athletes take part in a rehearsal for the upcoming Olympic torch greeting ceremony at Pakistan Sport Complex, in Islamabad, Pakistan on Tuesday, April 15, 2008. The Olympic torch will arrive in Pakistan on April 16 on its 20-country, 137,000-kilometer (85,100-mile), global journey. (AP Photo/Emilio Morenatti) …Courtesy Boston.com
After:
The 1st. Women Rock Climbing Competition held on April 15-16′ 2007 proved to be a great success. The response from individuals and institutions was amazing and more than 200 girls were registered and finally 80 girls were selected for qualifying round. There were 12 position holders from 4 categories of competition. On the closing session, Ms. Nilofar Bakhtiar, the then Federal Minister for Tourism awarded shields to position holders while Mr. Bryan Hugill distributed certificates among all participants.
Considering the great response of participants and success of the event, the Club announced 2nd. Women Rock Climbing Competition on 8th. & 9th. March 2008. The dates have been selected exclusively considering the weather conditions, a weekend and International Women Day i.e. 8th. March.
It is expected that the climbers will participate not from the whole country but from SAARC countries as well. The club has plans to organize few training sessions supervised by the experienced and professional Rock Climbing Instructors from USA .
All female climbers, or women, who have an interest in the sport and are willing to give it a shot to participate are requested to send their confirmation to the Club at their earliest. I am not exactly sure about the age and categories, but you can get in touch with them to find out more. Rock climbing is a wonderful adventure sport which involves a lot of physical and mental endurance. However with proper equipment, practice and safety arrangements, it’s a game full of adrenaline pumping action, and you keep coming back for more.
For further details and participation, please feel free to send your queries at adventure@panoramic.com.pk or visit www.adventureclub. com.pk
The contact person is :
Tahir Imran Khan
The Adventure Club - Pakistan
Cellular No. : 0092-333-5128519 : 0092-321-5366570
Office No. 2, Hi-Tech Center,
Block 21, Street No. 39, G-10/4, I & T Center,Islamabad ( 44000 ) - Pakistan
Phone No. : 0092 - 51 - 2110479, 7104015
Fax No. : 0092 - 51 - 2110697
Email : adventure@panoramic.com. pk
Photo Credit : All Posters
Orienteering is an outdoor sport enjoyed by people of all ages and abilities. It is a form of land navigation in which ‘orienteers’ use an accurate, detailed map and a compass to find points in the landscape. It can be enjoyed as a walk in the woods or as a competitive sport. It provides the suspense and excitement of a treasure hunt.
In collaboration with Adventure Foundation Pakistan (AFP) , Asian Study Group (ASG) has designed an introductory course to help you to learn rough and find skills of land navigation, use of map and compass, pacing and using attack points. By the end of this weekend course you will be changed from an enthusiastic beginner to an eager competitor.
The course is physically challenging but not strenuous. It is not beyond the reach or ability of any person from age 12 and above.
We will drive to Abbottabad in a Hiace Van in the afternoon (at 3:00 pm from United Bakery front) on 24th November (Saturday). At Abbottabad we will stay in the camping site of Adventure Training Centre of AFP. We will be back in Islamabad on the evening of 25th November (Sunday). Coaching, equipment for orienteering, simple boarding and lodging with meals and transport will be provided.
For more information contact ASG office @ (051) 287 5891 or you may talk to backpacker.
PS: No, I didn’t forget to mention, its Rs. 2500/- per head.
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Update (2:52 PM, November 19, 2007) The course has been postponed till further notice :( for some unknown reason. @ Shahab, IUnknown |
Title of this post suggests the true feelings of Pakistanis, especially the Cricket fan(atics) 24th’s eve.
I was deflated too but that lasted for few minutes only. Even if it was INDIA (PTV always refrer to them as Rawayiti Hareef and Thanks God not Parrosi Mulk) … so what … overall India Played well in the match. From our batting side; Imran suffered because of his injury and then only one Man stood by and lifted the already dead spirits of Pakistanis and he was Misbah. So why blame him for the ending shot - He actually saved us from an embarrasing defeat … Three Cheers for him. It was a good show, in fact a superb show. A game I truly enjoyed after so many months, maybe years.
A friend of mine, Syra, was today telling about her experience of watching the match in Jinnah Super (large screens were erected in Jinn, Super, and F-10 markaz for the cricketing nation) … I wish I can post the Video of her interesting description … goes like this:
The customers, the shopkeepers, families, kids, everybody who had come out for shopping had gathered outside Gol Chakar in front of the huge screen placed (in mid air). The crowd was simply dynamic and electrifying! Every run scored was celebrated. Almost everybody was praying for the win. There was thrill and excitement in the air. THEN, there was a huge roar when Misbah ul haq hit that sixer in the last over, and a sudden dead silence on the very next ball when he was caught behind. Heads down all around.
Nevertheless, watching the match with complete strangers all around you, cheering for Team Pakistan, praying together, jumping around for the same cause was a splendid experience.
So will you be cheering for our young Captain and talented boys (miss the some lousy drops ;-)) or going to feel bad and in IF state for ever??
Things usually are One Shot Away but it takes one to Play that Shot :-)
Cheers!!
A few days back, on one of my midnight walks in the streets of the capital. I saw this diamond in the rough lying right in the heart of Islamabad near F-6 super market. Yes this is a picture of a play ground in Islamabad not some western european welfare state. The facility has two tennis courts, a hockey ground, and a basketball field. It used be an old rugged playground that hardly had any grass, and where children from the nearby F-6 slum across the road used to play cricket. Now we see a world class facility for the citizens. 
The area is still under construction and would take a while to complete, but I hope there are more playgrounds such as these being developed in and around Islamabad because our youth is in serious needs of sports facilities.
Lyari Stadium Karachi was the venue where the 2nd match of the Super Football League was played between Islamabad United and Peshawar’s Tribe FC. From the looks of it, the entire league will be played in that stadium :( Anyways, the match ended in a draw, sadly for Islamabad as they were the more domination team in the first half with a 70% possession and a goal ahead. Their fatigue showed after the second half and Peshawar’s perseverance paid off in the second half as they equalized against a sleeping Islamabad defense. The match was slightly better than the Karachi Lahore game in terms of passing and vision.
Tribe FC Peshawar 1-1 Islamabad United
Read the whole match review in my match report. The picture on the right however is of the football industry in Sialkot.
What more could a football fan in Pakistan for. A televised local league. A daring investment by GEO Super who look to revive, or so to say revitalize the near dead sport of football in Pakistan.
GEO Super was launched in September 2006 to primarily show live boxing and cricket matches on their channel. With the Cricket World Cup coming, they had their fans glue to GEO Super through out spring.
This is the same league we talked about a few weeks ago.
In their opening ceremony and press conference, the project directors outlined the ambitions and desires behind the Super Football League (SFL). With them were Minister of Sports, and heads from Pakistan Football Federation (PFF). All the parties showed a desire to take the league to utmost international level along the lines of Spanish Primiera Liga, English Premier League and the Italian Serie A.
While the league does not have a web presence at all, you can find on the GEO TV’s web site a mention of the event and beginning of the league matches on 20th July. This is what they had to say,
Besides Lahore and Karachi, the country’s top teams Islamabad United, Quetta Zorawar and Peshawar FC Tribe are featuring in the double league competition.
The basic objective of conducting the championship was to raise the overall standard of the game across the country. Entry into the stadium will be free, the organizers said.
Program of the league:
20 July Karachi v Lahore.
21 July Peshawar v Islamabad.
26 July Quetta v Peshawar.
27 July Islamabad v Karachi.
28 July Peshawar v Lahore.
2 August Karachi v Quetta.
3 August Islamabad v Peshawar.
4 August Lahore v Quetta.
9 August Quetta v Islamabad.
10 August Peshawar v Karachi.
11 August Islamabad v Lahore.
16 August Lahore v Peshawar.
17 August Karachi v Islamabad.
18 August Quetta v Lahore.
23 August Karachi v Peshawar.
24 August Lahore v Islamabad.
25 August Quetta v Karachi.
30 August Islamabad v Quetta.
31 August Lahore v Karachi.
1 September Peshawar v Quetta.
6-7 September Semifinals.
9 September Final.All matches will start at 9.00pm.
Since I will be bucking the Islamabad team, I have highlighted the 8 matches Islamabad team will have over the course of next 2 months. Many of my friends are from Lahore, and I will be anticipating those matches with Lahore like any derby match!
Today’s match, Karachi vs Lahore was a slight preview of what was on offer. But as other matches are held one then can one have a better idea of the talent pool in Pakistan. Today, Karachi won 1-0 to Lahore. As said in the Press Release, the entry to the stadiums is free!
Read the complete post on my blog for my views on the match, the cheerleaders and the match setup!
People who are interested in football or call it soccer should head to Jinnah Stadium at 7:30 am in the morning for a trial session being held by GEO.tv over the next two days. That makes 23rd and 24th, as televised on TV. This is for Islamabad region as they try to setup a league for GEO Super. The session will last till Magrib, as I learned from a source. I will try to make it there, and if you spot a Red and Black Kaka shirt, that will be me. Please don’t come out to kill me, but we’ll try to kick some balls.
Good game. And no, Kaka won’t be there!
When I saw this today in Daily Times, I couldn’t resist to post this on IMB too …!
Wana caption the image??
