Daily Times

To honour the winners of the Asian Junior Squash Team Championship, a prize distribution ceremony was held at Serena Hotels Islamabad here Wednesday. Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan, Chief of the Air Staff, Pakistan Air Force, who is also President of the Pakistan Squash Federation, awarded cash prizes to the players, who won gold medal in the recently concluded championship at Pattaya (Thailand). The Pakistan team comprising Farhan Hashmi, Abbas Zeb, Haris Qasim and Hamza Khan performed exceptionally well in the championship, earning Pakistan the coveted title after six years.

Addressing at the occasion, the Air Chief said: We are proud of our young players who brought laurels to the country by winning the prestigious championship.” He added that the last two years remained great for the Pakistan squash as the country won a total of 58 medals including 27 gold, 13 silver and 18 bronze medals at national and international levels. He appreciated the hard work put in by the coaching staff for providing international standard training and coaching facilities to the young players. He also lauded the efforts of the Pakistan Squash Federation officials in making concerted efforts for bringing back the lost glory in the game
of squash.

Alvi praises triumphant junior squash team: PSF senior vice-president Air Marshal Shahid Akhtar Alvi also lauded the country’s junior squash side for their triumph in Thailand. Alvi said the win was deserved as the junior players had been consistent with their performances since last year and that the Pakistan juniors were considered among the best in the world. Alvi was full of appreciation for the local coaches, national federation and associations and believed they were a major force behind the success. He said the PSF had requested the Professional Squash Association to allot more junior tournaments to Pakistan and that international tournaments last year had helped players improve their rankings. The PSF vice-president also revealed that Pakistan will host the Asian Senior Championship in 2021.

Published in Daily Times, January 24^th 2019.