London 2012 Olympics: Hockey match, races mark 100 days to the games

Match between the Pakistani Olympic hockey team and former Olympians took place in the capital.

ISLAMABAD:

A hockey match and 100-metre races were held on Thursday to mark 100 days to go to the London 2012 Games. A large number of schoolchildren, guests and Pakistan’s top athletes were present on the occasion.

The event, organised by the British High Commission, featured a match between the Pakistani Olympic hockey team and former Olympians, which was won by the former by four goals against three.

The hockey team was led onto the field by Zainab Imran, a 14-year-old girl from Karachi who has been selected to be an Olympic torch bearer.

Moreover, the Pakistani Paralympians took part in two 100-metre races, which were among the races held in 100 countries to mark the occasion. Haider Ali, a Paralympian, won the first race while Mudassir Baig won the second.

Hundreds of schoolchildren involved in the British Council’s International Inspiration Programme also participated in an Olympic-themed performance, while dozens of doves were released to symbolise the Olympic Truce resolution at the United Nations.

British High Commissioner Adam Thomson said the event was a fantastic demonstration of the excitement that the London 2012 Games will bring to Pakistan.

“Hosting the 2012 Games is a great honour for the United Kingdom and I am proud that Pakistan will be playing its part in this momentous occasion,” he said.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 20^th, 2012.