POA to support women athletes
WBCC President Sultan Shah and POA Associate Secretary General Tehmina Asif among other officials. PHOTO COURTESY: ORGANISERS
President of the World Blind Cricket Council (WBCC) and Chairman of Pakistan Blind Cricket, Syed Sultan Shah, has said that the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) will support the provision of sports infrastructure for female athletes, who are no less than men.
Sultan Shah expressed these views during a meeting with the Associate Secretary General of the Pakistan Olympic Association (POA), Tehmina Asif, at the Softball House in Karachi. Also present on the occasion were POA individual member Syed Waseem Hashmi, WBCC Technical Director Muhammad Tahir Butt, President of the Softball Federation of Pakistan Asif Azeem, and Islamabad Blind Cricket Club President Bilal Satti.
Syed Sultan Shah extended his heartfelt congratulations to Tehmina Asif on her unopposed election as the Associate Secretary General of the POA, affirming that Pakistani women are equally talented and capable as their male counterparts. He highlighted the recent POA elections as a testament to this, where women took on prominent roles, including Senior Vice President Fatima Lakhani, Vice Presidents Ishrat Ashraf and Andleeb Sindhu, Associate Secretary General Tehmina Asif, and Executive Members Samira Sattar, Sana Ali, and Amna Tanveer.
Congratulating Tehmina Asif on her unopposed election as the Associate Secretary General of the POA, Syed Sultan Shah remarked that Pakistani women are no less talented than men. This was evident in the recent POA elections, where women assumed significant roles, such as Senior Vice President Fatima Lakhani, Vice Presidents Ishrat Ashraf and Andleeb Sindhu, Associate Secretary General Tehmina Asif, and Executive Members Samira Sattar, Sana Ali, and Amna Tanveer.
Sultan Shah highlighted the profound impact of positive news from the sports arena in driving the growth and advancement of sports in Pakistan. He stressed that celebrating athletes who bring glory to the nation through international achievements, backed by robust support from the government and private sector, could pave the way for even greater success in the future.
Highlighting future activities, he mentioned that Pakistan would participate in this year's Women's T20 Blind Cricket World Cup. As part of preparations, the National Championship for blind women cricketers will be held in Islamabad from February 19 to 24, and the Pakistani women's cricket team is also expected to tour Australia in April.
Tehmina Asif praised the blind cricketers who brought glory to Pakistan by winning the T20 Blind Cricket World Cup. She expressed confidence that the country's talented blind women cricketers would also shine on the international stage, elevating Pakistan's status in blind cricket.
Acknowledging Sultan Shah's commitment to serving blind athletes, she noted that his efforts were exemplary and should inspire others. She stressed the need to continue encouraging world-champion players. On this occasion, Syed Waseem Hashmi and Tehmina Asif presented souvenirs and gifts to Syed Sultan Shah on behalf of the Softball Federation and Combaxx Sports.