06:32
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KARACHI: Taking advantage of the absence of the invincible Army, WAPDA were crowned champions of the 32nd National Games, which concluded at the Railways Stadium in Lahore on Friday.
This is the first time in the history of the games that WAPDA have lifted the trophy. In the previous seven editions they had ended as the runners-up.
But interestingly the winners were deprived of the original Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and were instead handed over its replica at the closing ceremony marred by heavy rain.
The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) said that Army Sports Directorate refused to give the trophy to the organisers. “Army Sports Directorate refused to return the trophy to the POA. They have intimated that it is government’s property and if the POA wants it back they should approach the government,” the POA said.
Army, who along with Air Force (PAF) and Navy, had skipped the event due to several reasons, had been ruling the extravaganza since 1956.
Before that the ‘Combined Services’ had lifted it in 1950 (Lahore), 1952 (Lahore) and 1955 (Dhaka).
The inaugural edition’s crown was claimed by Punjab in 1948.
WAPDA, who had a healthy pool of athletes, ended the disputed Lahore’s Games with whopping statistics, clinching 190 gold, 83 silver and 46 bronze medals.
They were followed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) with 29 gold, 62 silver and 74 bronze medals.
Punjab, who had ended as the runners-up for six consecutive times from 1982 to 1992, showed strength in the team events, ending third with 22 gold, 33 silver, and 56 bronze medals.
Sindh, whose female athletes gave splendid performances, especially in swimming and taekwondo, stood fourth with 24 gold, 29 silver, and 32 bronze medals.
Sindh had ended runners-up in the 1980 edition hosted by Karachi.
They were followed by Police (4 gold, 13 silver, 26 bronze), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2 gold, 15 silver, 26 bronze), Railways (11 gold, 25 silver, 38 bronze), Balochistan (3 gold, 14 silver, 11 bronze) and Independent POA Athletes of Islamabad (8 silver, 15 bronze).
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) unit ended at the rock bottom with one silver and ten bronze medals.
POA chief Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hasan, who was the chief guest at the hastily conducted closing ceremony, presented the winners trophy to WAPDA’s chef de mission Hasnain Afzal while the runners-up crown went to HEC.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were presented the fair-play trophy.
Also present on the occasion were the Director General WAPDA Sports Board Mian Riffat Mehmood, KP Sports Minister Syed Aaqil Shah and the chief organiser and the Punjab Olympic Association (PbOA) chief Syed Shahid Ali Shah.
The spectacle, which was also skipped by a handful of national sports federations, was not supported by the Punjab government due to the conflict which has started within the sports fraternity on the national sports policy.
It was a memorable event for FATA athletes who took part in it under their own banner for the first time. As many as 140 athletes, both male and female, of the terrorism-hit tribal belt featured in the slots. The contingents are scheduled to proceed towards their homes on Saturday (today).
This is the first time in the history of the games that WAPDA have lifted the trophy. In the previous seven editions they had ended as the runners-up.
But interestingly the winners were deprived of the original Quaid-e-Azam Trophy and were instead handed over its replica at the closing ceremony marred by heavy rain.
The Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) said that Army Sports Directorate refused to give the trophy to the organisers. “Army Sports Directorate refused to return the trophy to the POA. They have intimated that it is government’s property and if the POA wants it back they should approach the government,” the POA said.
Army, who along with Air Force (PAF) and Navy, had skipped the event due to several reasons, had been ruling the extravaganza since 1956.
Before that the ‘Combined Services’ had lifted it in 1950 (Lahore), 1952 (Lahore) and 1955 (Dhaka).
The inaugural edition’s crown was claimed by Punjab in 1948.
WAPDA, who had a healthy pool of athletes, ended the disputed Lahore’s Games with whopping statistics, clinching 190 gold, 83 silver and 46 bronze medals.
They were followed by the Higher Education Commission (HEC) with 29 gold, 62 silver and 74 bronze medals.
Punjab, who had ended as the runners-up for six consecutive times from 1982 to 1992, showed strength in the team events, ending third with 22 gold, 33 silver, and 56 bronze medals.
Sindh, whose female athletes gave splendid performances, especially in swimming and taekwondo, stood fourth with 24 gold, 29 silver, and 32 bronze medals.
Sindh had ended runners-up in the 1980 edition hosted by Karachi.
They were followed by Police (4 gold, 13 silver, 26 bronze), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (2 gold, 15 silver, 26 bronze), Railways (11 gold, 25 silver, 38 bronze), Balochistan (3 gold, 14 silver, 11 bronze) and Independent POA Athletes of Islamabad (8 silver, 15 bronze).
The Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) unit ended at the rock bottom with one silver and ten bronze medals.
POA chief Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hasan, who was the chief guest at the hastily conducted closing ceremony, presented the winners trophy to WAPDA’s chef de mission Hasnain Afzal while the runners-up crown went to HEC.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were presented the fair-play trophy.
Also present on the occasion were the Director General WAPDA Sports Board Mian Riffat Mehmood, KP Sports Minister Syed Aaqil Shah and the chief organiser and the Punjab Olympic Association (PbOA) chief Syed Shahid Ali Shah.
The spectacle, which was also skipped by a handful of national sports federations, was not supported by the Punjab government due to the conflict which has started within the sports fraternity on the national sports policy.
It was a memorable event for FATA athletes who took part in it under their own banner for the first time. As many as 140 athletes, both male and female, of the terrorism-hit tribal belt featured in the slots. The contingents are scheduled to proceed towards their homes on Saturday (today).
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