Daily Times

All Pakistan Inter-University Badminton Championship Zone B got underway in collaboration with the Directorate of Sports University of Peshawar (UoP) and Higher Education Commission Islamabad here at the indoor hall of the Campus on Wednesday.

A Pakistani origin, Dr. Atiq Samdani, Head of the Virginia Cancer Institute, USA, formally inaugurated the Championship in which 14 University teams from all across Khyber Pakhtunkhwa participated. Dr. Atiq Samdani, who remains a KMC student and a well-known cancer specialist, is currently on a visit to Pakistan, including KP. While recalling his memories, Dr. Atiq said he was a basketball player and represented NWFP in the National Basketball Championship in the 90s. All Pakistan Inter-Varsity Badminton Zone B Championship started in the gymnasium of the Directorate of Sports of UoP, with more than 70 players from fourteen universities participating in the Championship organized by HEC and supervised by UoP.

The team comprising UoP, Abbasin University, Brains Institute Peshawar, CECOS University, Gandhara University, IM Sciences Peshawar, ICUP, Iqra University, KMU, UET, Agri University Peshawar, Northern University, Nowshera, Shuhad-e-Army Public University Nowshera and SUIT. VC UoP Prof. Dr. Muhammad Saleem Khan, Oncologist, Head of Virginia Cancer Institute Dr. Atiq Samdani and Squash Legend Qamar Zaman were the special guests at the colourful opening ceremony. The competition was inaugurated by cutting the ribbon and was accompanied by DG Sports Bahre Karam, Director of Sports of various universities, Director of Sports of KMU Nasir Saleem, International Handball Players and Coach Asim Rashid, Naveedur Rahman and other officials were present.

VC UoP. Prof. Dr Muhammad Salim Khan congratulated the Director of Sports and his team for organizing the best competitions and assured them they would continue supporting sports development. He said that UoP has produced heroes in the field of sports. Dr. Atiq Samdani noted that he has been a basketball player from school to university level and still plays basketball regularly.

He said that the spirit of serving the nation brings him to Pakistan. He also travels around the country to support the treatment of cancer patients and at the Virginia Cancer Institute to serve cancer patients worldwide. He said that fitness is real health; as long as you stay fit, diseases do not attack you. Participating in sports for fitness is very important, and there is no age limit for it. Legend Qamar Zaman said that Bahre Karam won gold medals for the country and nation in the Asian and Saif Games, and till today, he is engaged in the service of sports. The UoP team consists of Muhammad Tauseef, Farhan Ahmed, Zubair Khan, and Taimur Khan, and the manager is Khalid Khan. Ziyad, Sajjad Khan, Imad Khan, Mehran Khan, while Manager Qaiser Siddique, City University team includes Azeemullah, Rizwanullah, Muhammad Umar, Fahad Mustafa, Amir Hamza Hussain and Manager Sajid Iqbal.

Muhammad Uzair, Bilal Khan, Muhammad Abrar, while Farid Usman is the manager, Muhammad Anzal Akbar, Ibrahim Durrani, Abbas Shah, Abdul Muqeed, Kashif Khan and Muhammad Nisar are team managers in the team of CECOS University, Muhammad Faizan Syed is in the team of Khyber Medical University including Muhammad Hasan, Syed Saqlain Haider. In contrast, the manager is Dr Abdul Salam.