Director General Karachi Development Authority (KDA) Syed Muhammad Ali Shah, who is also the Patron of Sindh Softball Association (SSA), on Tuesday called for collective efforts at individual and institutional level to regain past glory in various international sports.
Speaking at a function held at Softball Federation of Pakistan, in connection with the World Softball Day, the KDA chief said, “Players who win laurels for the country at international level must be honoured by government and private organisations to encourage them in their endeavors to achieve best results”.
Shah said any good news on the sports front internationally had a positive impact on the promotion of sports in the country, adding that players who represent the country internationally were our pride.
Sports activities had been completely restored in the KDA, he said, and expressed his eagerness over promotion of softball in the country with special emphasis at grass-root level.
“KDA will play a pivotal role for not only enhancing and improving the existing infrastructure of softball in Pakistan, but will also ensure steps for well-being of the players”, he observed.
DG KDA said the players of Karachi team, which won the title of 7th Inter Divisional Softball Championship in Hyderabad recently, would be honoured at a grand reception to be held soon in Karachi.
On the occasion, the Federation’s Secretary General Asif Azeem thanked the DG KDA for his support to the game in the country and added that a substantial patronage of sports by government institutions was a must so that the athletes were not only provided the best playing opportunities, but also made financially strong to help them concentrate on their game.
Asif Azeem announced that Pakistan softball team would feature in Asia B-5 Championship to be held in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia in August.
“Moreover, the 1st Softball League will be held in Karachi in November this year, in which teams of Lahore, Islamabad, Quetta and Peshawar, besides the host team (Karachi) will take part. Foreign players and technical officials will be invited to the event to prepare the local teams for international tournaments”, Azeem concluded.
World Softball Day is celebrated on June 13, by World Baseball and Softball Confederation, in more than 140 states of the world, to share the impact of softball and promote physical activity and good health.
