WAPDA award Rs2.5m each to Arshad, Talha for Olympic glory

Lahore

With a view to encourage WAPDA Athletes, Arshad Nadeem and Talha Talib for their brilliant performance in Javelin Throw and Weightlifting, respectively in Tokyo Olympics, a prize distribution ceremony was held at WAPDA House here on Monday under the aegis of WAPDA Sports Board (WSB).

WAPDA Chairman and WSB Patron-in-Chief Lt Gen Muzammil Hussain (Retd) presented cash awards worth Rs. 2.5 million each to both of Olympians.

In addition, cash awards worth Rs 500,000 to Fayyaz Bukhari, Coach of Arshad Nadeem and Rs 50,000 to Abubakar, an emerging WAPDA Tennis player were also given during the ceremony.

WAPDA Member (Finance), Member (Power), Member (Water), MD (Admn), Secretary WAPDA and WSB senior officers were also present on the occasion.

Addressing the ceremony, WAPDA Chairman congratulated WAPDA athletes on their brilliant performance in Tokyo Olympics and expressed the hope that they would excel in future in international competitions to bring medals to Pakistan.

Highlighting the significance of sports, he said that the lesson for struggle in life can best be learnt from sports.

Underlining the significance of sports for Pakistan, he said that sports alone have the potential to resolve all of our issues by combating terrorism, unifying the nation and stabilizing economy.

The Chairman vowed that WAPDA would make all out efforts to lift the standard of sports in Pakistan, so that the country could be better placed on the medal tally in international competitions.

In an environment of gloom in the sports domain, WAPDA has been playing a phenomenal role for promotion of sports in Pakistan for the last six decades.

WAPDA players have not only been showing their class at the national level but also bringing laurels to Pakistan in international competitions.

At present, WAPDA is winner in 35 disciplines (Men-19, Women-16), and runners-up in 19 games (Men-12, Women-7) in National Championships.

WAPDA is the biggest employer of sportspersons in Pakistan, as more than 2400 players and sports officials are associated with various units of WSB across the country, WAPDA has 66 teams – 37 men and 29 women – of different games.—APP