Peshawar
The Junior Tennis Initiative (JTI) program in collaboration with the International Tennis Federation (ITF), Pakistan Tennis Federation (PTF) and Directorate of Sports Khyber Pakhtunkhwa got underway here at Pakistan Tennis Club, Shahi Bagh on Monday.
ITF Coordinator for Pakistan Hamid Niaz, Secretary of the Program Asghar Ali, President KP Tennis Association DIG Muhammad Saleem Marwat, Project Director Prime Minister 1000 Playground Facilities Murad Ali Mohmand, Chairman KP Tennis Association Dr. Tahir, and Secretary Umar Ayaz Khalil graced the occasion as guests.
The JTI Program got underway with more then 100 boys and girls in different aegis from from various schools part of the JTI program were there. On this occasion ITF playing gears among upcoming children in Tennis were also distributed.
The aim and objective of the JTI is to promote tennis at the grassroots level in KP. He said ITF launched such programs in 133 countries of the world including Pakistan and like KP JTI Program were also initiated in other cities as well.
President KP Muhammad Saleem Majeed Marwat Omar Ayaz Khalil formally inaugurated the JTI Program. Level-I coaches Shaharyar Khan, Zakir Ullah and Oreen Jasia were also present.
JTI National Coordinator Hamid Niaz himself supervised the activity and guided the coaches as well as the participants.
He conducted a number of international activities to keep all the players engaged in healthy activities and motivated them to adopt this game as a profession. He also announced a tennis drawing and tennis quiz competition, which was liked by all the campers.
He said the main purpose of the program was to promote tennis and develop junior players in public and private schools.
Attention is being given to the children up to class 4 to class 8 in the first phase camps set up in different schools of Peshawar and in other major cities of the country. He said talent is going to be identified, which will be further trained in tennis courts in consultation with parents, and school administration, Hamid Niaz informed.
Murad Ali Mohmand, who was identified as focal persons while KP Tennis Association have appointed Shahriar Khan, Zakirullah, Noman, Shakirullah, Shah Hussain and Oreen Jasia as coordinators.
He said that the scope of the program would later be extended to the other three divisions of the province, equipment and tools would be provided to the children on behalf of the ITF, teachers and tennis coaches would also be trained in the program, in the government schools.—APP
