Traditional sports festival conclude

Total of 251 players from across country take part in competitions

HARIPUR:

Riding on his horse “Much Much More” Chaudhry Hassan Mahmood of Al-Sheikh Club grabbed a gold medal in the traditional games ‘Tent Pegging’ played at Jati Pend village, Khag, Haripur district on Monday.

MNA Umar Ayub Khan formally inaugurated the contests with more than 251 horse riders from almost all 29 clubs across the country. Recently elected nazim of the area Muhammad Waseem Gujjar, President Pakistan Tent-Pegging Federation Malik Meharban, Regional Sports Officer Hazara Ahmed Zaman, DSO Haripur Faisal Javed, DSO Mansehra Atif, Assistant Director Irshad Khan and other elites of area and thousands of game loving spectators were present on the occasion.

The traditional games were organised by Directorate General Sports KP in Haripur district came to an end with sweet memories.

Mehr Umar Draz, Mehr Azhar Shamim and Malik Zahoor Ahmed, hailing from Al-Sheikh Club won the first position in the Team contests. Pindi Ghazi Club riders including Hafiz Khawajah Hamza Hayat, Sardar Nouman Khan, Malik Sufiyan Khan and Khan Khaizer Khawar, Al-Kabeer Awan Club of Bannu with riders Wajahatullah Khan, Haji Malik Imtiaz Khan, Haji Ustad Zulqarnain and Haji Khan Zeeshan Khan Baloch took the third position.

Similarly, in individual competition; Chaudhry Hassan Mahmood of Al Sheikh Club won gold, Hamza Javed Bhatti of Hussainia Naqvi Al Bukhari Club on his horse name Haidry won silver and Malik Zahoor Ahmed of Al Sheikh Club on his horse name Badal won a bronze medal.

A total of 251 players from 29 clubs from across the country took part while a large number of spectators were present to watch the overnight matches and pay tribute to their respective players.

Galiyat Development Authority Director General Captain (Retd) Khalid Mahmood distributed prizes among the winners. There were thousands of spectators from the nearby villages and even some were part of the team contingent visited alongside their horses for the competitions from far-flung areas of Punjab, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.

Captain (Retd) Khalid Mahmood appreciated the horsemen, saying tent-pegging was a 2500-year-old game practiced by warriors to mount pre-dawn raids on an enemy camp, using the game’s skills to sever or uproot tent pegs. He urged the government to promote this native game.

 Published in The Express Tribune, June 21^st, 2022.