LAHORE: The Wrestling National League held under the auspices of Prime Minister’s Youth Programme (PMYP) concluded here at the University of Veterinary & Animal Sciences (UVAS) on Tuesday.
Chairman Higher Education Commission (HEC) Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed was chief guest at the closing ceremony. On sidelines of the closing ceremony, he also performed the groundbreaking of a swimming pool in UVAS. Speaking at the occasion, the chairman said, “I am delighted to witness that our youth is actively engaged in sport activities like Wrestling and other games.” He advised the students not to indulge in non-issues and focus on becoming a productive resource to play their part in making Pakistan a prosperous country. Dr. Mukhtar Ahmed said that HEC has a well-established Sports Division that was providing facilities to youngsters to participate in various sports.
He also informed the audience that Pakistani students were performing very well in all fields of life. “I feel proud to say that Pakistani students have secured maximum number of scholarships as compared to other students in European Union merit-based scholarships.” Vice Chancellor UVAS Dr. Muhammad Nasim said that through the Talent Hunt Youth Sports League, revival of sports activities and strengthening of sports culture in Pakistan was expected and hoped that the players would bring more laurels if this kind of handholding continued. At the closing ceremony, final wrestling competitions were held. Team of Punjab wrestlers won the first prize, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa team stood second while Balochistan team finished third on the points table.
The national league of weightlifting and wrestling is part of Talent Hunt Youth Sports League, a first of its kind project in which trials for 12 selected sports are to be conducted in 25 locations across the country followed by provincial and national leagues. The purpose of conducting the trials in selected sports is to provide an opportunity to the youth of the country on the grass root level to showcase their talent in the sports of their interest.