Mayor promises exclusive tent pegging ground
Two-day equestrian competition ends with govt assurance to promote cultural activities
Competitors take part in the two-day tent-pegging competition held at Fatima Jinnah Park in Sector F-9. PHOTOS: Agencies
ISLAMABAD:
Gone are the days of horse-mounted cavalries, but at least one of their classic battle tactics survive as a sport — tent-pegging.
The cavaliers’ pre-dawn raids targeting the pegs on enemy tents used to create havoc for sleeping soldiers. The game evolved from the military tactic and has attracted throngs of fans over the years.
As Islamabad mayor cuts cake, Christians sit in wait
People turned in droves to Fatima Jinnah Park on Friday and Saturday to witness a game of flying spears and tent-pegs. Organised by the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (IMC), the two-day event saw over 700 riders and their horses galloping for glory in the ancient sport.
“I love horses and am thrilled to see so many of them from so close and at full gallop,” said Waqas Akbar, a young local resident. He and his friends arrived at the venue long before the event started so they could see the horses and pat them, he added.
Family festival
The first day attracted hundreds of people from Islamabad and Rawalpindi besides a handsome number of people flocking in from other parts of the country to back their respective teams and riders.
To add colour to the event and celebrate the arrival of spring, the organisers decorated the area with colourful stalls selling traditional clothes, ornaments and food items. Some offered camel rides. A good number of women also visited the arena to cheer the competing riders.
Living tradition
Wearing traditional kullah caps over shalwar-kameez and waist coats, riders from different parts of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) participated in the competition that concluded on Saturday.
“I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the game I used to see played in my village as a child has come to the city,” said Mushtaq Ali from Mandi Bahauddin, who has been working in Islamabad for over ten years.
Concluding ceremony
Mayor and Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Anser Aziz was at the concluding ceremony to hand over the prizes to the top chargers, while Deputy Mayor Syed Zeeshan Naqvi was the chief organiser of the event.
Over 700 horsemen from 125 tent pegging clubs of Punjab, K-P and AJK participated in the event, Naqvi said.
After two days of gruelling matches of one the 10 internationally recognised of equestrian sports, the Hussania Naqvi Club al-Bukhari Club lifted the top prize of individual horseman, he told a cheering crowd.
Festival Of Ideas: Building a better world of tomorrow
The second and third positions went to Al-Ameen Ghazi Club and Chanab Prince Club, respectively.
Mayor Aziz said MCI wanted to promote cultural and traditional sports. “The level of interest of the people and enthusiasm in sports like tent pegging is laudable,” he said.
He said the MCI was working to ensure provision of quality entertainment facilities in the capital.
Appreciating the arrangements made for the tent pegging event, he said involving riders in such a large number was commendable and MCI would ensure arrangements of such events every year.
State Minister for CADD Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said Pakistan was blessed with diverse culture.
Mayor Aziz said MCI plans a dedicated ground for tent pegging. “Next year the annual tent pegging competition will be organised on a ground specifically laid out for the sport,” he said.
The Olympic Council of Asia included tent pegging as an official sport in 1982, and the International Federation for Equestrian Sports recognised it as an official equestrian discipline in 2004.
Aziz said that tent pegging involves daring competitors who challenge each other with enthusiasm and skill. Sports like tent pegging keep alive the old traditions of the society, he said, adding that MCI would continue to organise such healthy and traditional sports in its available resources. He appreciated the arrangements of mega tent pegging competition and said that MCI would organise tent pegging competitions next year with further improvement.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2017.
Gone are the days of horse-mounted cavalries, but at least one of their classic battle tactics survive as a sport — tent-pegging.
The cavaliers’ pre-dawn raids targeting the pegs on enemy tents used to create havoc for sleeping soldiers. The game evolved from the military tactic and has attracted throngs of fans over the years.
As Islamabad mayor cuts cake, Christians sit in wait
People turned in droves to Fatima Jinnah Park on Friday and Saturday to witness a game of flying spears and tent-pegs. Organised by the Islamabad Metropolitan Corporation of Islamabad (IMC), the two-day event saw over 700 riders and their horses galloping for glory in the ancient sport.
“I love horses and am thrilled to see so many of them from so close and at full gallop,” said Waqas Akbar, a young local resident. He and his friends arrived at the venue long before the event started so they could see the horses and pat them, he added.
Family festival
The first day attracted hundreds of people from Islamabad and Rawalpindi besides a handsome number of people flocking in from other parts of the country to back their respective teams and riders.
To add colour to the event and celebrate the arrival of spring, the organisers decorated the area with colourful stalls selling traditional clothes, ornaments and food items. Some offered camel rides. A good number of women also visited the arena to cheer the competing riders.
Living tradition
Wearing traditional kullah caps over shalwar-kameez and waist coats, riders from different parts of Punjab and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) participated in the competition that concluded on Saturday.
“I was pleasantly surprised to hear that the game I used to see played in my village as a child has come to the city,” said Mushtaq Ali from Mandi Bahauddin, who has been working in Islamabad for over ten years.
Concluding ceremony
Mayor and Capital Development Authority (CDA) Chairman Anser Aziz was at the concluding ceremony to hand over the prizes to the top chargers, while Deputy Mayor Syed Zeeshan Naqvi was the chief organiser of the event.
Over 700 horsemen from 125 tent pegging clubs of Punjab, K-P and AJK participated in the event, Naqvi said.
After two days of gruelling matches of one the 10 internationally recognised of equestrian sports, the Hussania Naqvi Club al-Bukhari Club lifted the top prize of individual horseman, he told a cheering crowd.
Festival Of Ideas: Building a better world of tomorrow
The second and third positions went to Al-Ameen Ghazi Club and Chanab Prince Club, respectively.
Mayor Aziz said MCI wanted to promote cultural and traditional sports. “The level of interest of the people and enthusiasm in sports like tent pegging is laudable,” he said.
He said the MCI was working to ensure provision of quality entertainment facilities in the capital.
Appreciating the arrangements made for the tent pegging event, he said involving riders in such a large number was commendable and MCI would ensure arrangements of such events every year.
State Minister for CADD Dr Tariq Fazal Chaudhary said Pakistan was blessed with diverse culture.
Mayor Aziz said MCI plans a dedicated ground for tent pegging. “Next year the annual tent pegging competition will be organised on a ground specifically laid out for the sport,” he said.
The Olympic Council of Asia included tent pegging as an official sport in 1982, and the International Federation for Equestrian Sports recognised it as an official equestrian discipline in 2004.
Aziz said that tent pegging involves daring competitors who challenge each other with enthusiasm and skill. Sports like tent pegging keep alive the old traditions of the society, he said, adding that MCI would continue to organise such healthy and traditional sports in its available resources. He appreciated the arrangements of mega tent pegging competition and said that MCI would organise tent pegging competitions next year with further improvement.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 24th, 2017.