By Shahid Afridi
PESHAWAR: Exciting competitions continued in various disciplines of the National Junior Championship being organized by the Directorate General of Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. In the men’s badminton event, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa delivered an outstanding performance to claim the championship title while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab qualified for the final of the volleyball event.
In the badminton final played on Monday, the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa team, comprising Qari Umar, Hashir, Abdul Haseeb, Ryan, and Najam-ul-Saqib, defeated Punjab 3-1 to emerge as champions.
At the conclusion of the final, Adviser to the Chief Minister on Sports and Youth Affairs, Taj Muhammad Tarand, distributed prizes among the players. Director General Sports Tashfeen Haider, Arbab Faiz, Coach Bushra, Hayatullah, Nadeem, Provincial Badminton Association Secretary Mian Sadaqat Shah, Administrator Yousaf Afridi and other dignitaries were also present on the occasion.
Addressing the ceremony, Taj Muhammad Tarand congratulated the winning players and said that the championship had been organized to help young athletes polish their skills and provide them with opportunities to excel. He expressed hope that the participants had not only learned from the competition but had also thoroughly enjoyed the experience.
He said that victory and defeat are part of sports and urged unsuccessful players not to lose heart but to work harder in order to achieve better results in future competitions. On the occasion, he also announced a cash prize of Rs100,000 for the winning team and Rs50,000 for the runners-up.
Meanwhile in the first volleyball semi-final, Punjab secured a place in the final after defeating Azad Jammu and Kashmir 3-0 in a one-sided contest. In the second semi-final, hosts Khyber Pakhtunkhwa overcame Balochistan to qualify for the title-deciding match.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Punjab will now face each other in the final for the championship title.
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